Goodnight, My Someone
by VioletJersey
Summary: Draco gets caught for drunk driving... and ends up helping a blind Ginny as "punishment". Will love blossom between them... or will the wrath of a serial killer, slowly tear them apart! CHAPTER 4 IS UP!!!
1. Chapter One

**DISCLAIMER:** All of the characters and places here are owned and copyrighted by JK Rowling.  
  
This fic was created after StrangerInMyFace made a review on Opaque's Crown of Scars. She actually challenged me to come up with an A.U. story that's totally unique and different from the HP timeline (so expect a lot of OOCs... but not too much I hope!). Basically, this whole thing was made to cater 3 of my major passions in life- Harry Potter, Ally Mcbeal… and dark psycho-thriller novels. ;p  
  
I would like to dedicate this one to all my fave D/G fanfic writers- namely MochaButterfly, reiko, Opaque, StrangerInMyFace, davesmom, Fearthainn, FireSprite, Archer and Night Spirit… I hope I could write as great as you guys *^^*   
  
And last but not the least: my beta-readers reiko, kalangitan, Abby and Pat! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and confidence you gave to me! I promise to do my best always!!! :D  
  
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**Chapter One**  
  
The path was dark and the rain was pouring hard amidst a stormy night. _Just the way he liked it._ With his left hand on the steering wheel and a bottle of beer in his right, Draco Malfoy knew exactly what he wanted - the feeling of being in control - even at the brink of inner destruction.  
  
_Oh how he longed for it!_  
  
Pressing harder on the accelerator, he drove as fast as he can muster, not minding how slippery the road was. Drinking what's left of his beer, he opened his window and threw it directly across a passing car. He didn't even flinch when the driver started cursing at him, Draco merely laughed. He was having the time of his life - and nothing could stop him now.  
  
When he couldn't find any more beer on the passenger seat, he reached for the radio and turned up the volume really loud. Heavy metal music drowned his musings with lust and desire of all the women he feasted, and money he actually burned on booze and spliffs. Feeling that sudden rush once more, he started screaming at the top of his lungs  
  
_Why won't you die?  
Your blood in mine  
We'll be fine  
Then your body will be mine_  
  
He was so consumed by the music, he began having visions in his head. Visions from a past long forgotten.  
  
_Look at yourself! You're nothing more than a waster! A disgrace to the Malfoy name! And more importantly - you're a disgrace to yourself..._  
  
Anger flooded his soul. "You reckon I want to be like you!" Draco barked, steering the wheel madly across the road. "You reckon you're better than me, _Dad!_ You're wrong, and I hope you rot in hell like the rest of your bloody clan!!!" He couldn't take it anymore. He lashed out, striking the dashboard with his knuckles. Punching it so hard, his fist began to bleed and his fingers started to numb.  
  
In all his life, Draco never felt this angry before. He was slowly losing it. He kept on banging his hand, leaving bloodstains all over his car. He didn't care at all. _Why would he?_ At that point, Draco Malfoy wanted nothing more but to end his life. Losing control, he began drifting over the centerline...  
  
Up ahead, another car was heading his way.  
  
Draco whipped around, and then instinctively, jerked the wheel hard as the cars closed in on each other. The car began to slide, leaving the road just as he slammed the brakes. He was closing in on a speed limit sign. Draco struggled to keep control, then felt the wheels catch at the last moment. The car swerved again and jerked suddenly, coming to a halt in a ditch.  
  
  
  
Draco was in a daze. Panting hard, he stared at the ditch right before him. He couldn't believe it - he almost killed himself! Without even thinking, he smirked to himself.  
  
_I guess the reunion would have to wait... Dad_  
  
He was still in a trance, when a knock suddenly came from outside his window. Draco glanced up and saw a tall man with a badge and gun hoisted up on his trousers. He ran over a cop -A Scotland Yard Inspector to be exact, judging by his badge! Feeling utterly aghast, he leaned his throbbing head on the wheel, and grimaced.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
Two weeks after that _unfortunate_ incident, Draco was waiting aimlessly for his lawyer to arrive with news of his arraignment. Since he was still a minor, the court decided to negotiate what could be the best punishment for him.  
  
"As long as I don't go to jail." he muttered, pacing in circles at the Malfoy Manor library. He hated going to this room when his father was still alive. Here, he would lecture him about the benefits of being a Malfoy and how important it is to _step up to the challenge_. Feeling more tense than ever, he began twisting his still-sore wrist from the accident. God knows what's in store for him at this very minute. All he could think of was how the hell he could be so daft to put himself into this kind of mess!  
  
Suddenly, a knock on the door broke his worried thoughts. His lawyer, Antonin Dolohov had finally arrived.  
  
"What do you have for me, Dolohov?" he drawled, paying no attention to the distinguished gentleman. "I expect some good news from you."  
  
"It seems highly unlikely, Mr. Malfoy," he replied. "It seems that the judge has over-ruled that you would have to pay the consequences of your actions."  
  
"They very well know they can't put me in jail. Tell me, what does the judge want from me?"  
  
"The court wants you to pay fifty thousand pounds for damaging public government property-"  
  
"Yes? That seems relevant," Draco interrupted. "I shall have Martin arrange a check for them-"  
  
"And to do six months of community service at a local shelter down London's East End." Dolohov concluded, looking firmly at Draco's direction.  
  
Draco glared at him, suspiciously. "WHAT! You're saying that I have to do WHAT?"  
  
Before he could answer, a stern voice came into the room and spoke. "Clearly now, Draco. Let's not be too melodramatic. After all, you did damage a patrol car as well as a 1956 Jaguar Roadster."  
  
Narcissa Malfoy. Draco felt remorse at what she was about to do. Unlike his father, she still had the grace and sophistication of a highly respectable woman - yet her temper is quite legendary in her own right. It was she who taught him to fight back when he's down - and to never back down at a challenge!  
  
"Mother," Draco whispered icily. "This does not concern you!"  
  
"Oh yes it does since I'm the one paying for it!" Narcissa Malfoy spat. She moved closer and told Dolohov that she would like to discuss this matter with her son in private. He smiled at her, and left the room immediately. Looking back at his son, she told him to take a seat.  
  
"I will not be treated like a-"  
  
_"Sit down Draco!"_  
  
Feeling outraged at his mother's action, Draco sat on the nearest chair and sulked heavily. He may be her son, but she had no right to embarrass him like that- especially in front of his lawyer!  
  
"What do you want from me?" he confronted her. She merely smiled at his response. He was now feeling worse than ever!  
  
"An explanation would be in order," She replied mildly. "Why didn't you tell me about the accident?"  
  
"There's nothing to say. He scratched the rear end of my car and I swerved off the road. We barely bumped into each other."  
  
"Don't you lie to me, Draco Edward Malfoy!" she scolded. "I saw the damage you caused on that Jaguar and believe me, that was not a scratch!"  
  
Draco shrugged. "Okay, so I kinda wrecked the car a bit. It's not like I wanted it to-"  
  
Narcissa couldn't repress her anger any further! "Not wanted it to happen??? What the hell do you take me for? You listen to me... don't you dare think that I'm as stupid as those tarts you shag with all the time!"  
  
Draco grunted in disgust. He stood up from his chair and was headed towards the door, when she grabbed his arm.  
  
"We're not yet finished!" she said sharply, not letting go of her grip.  
  
"No! This discussion is over! I'm sick and tired of you ranting to my face how big of an arsehole I am!" he roared. He jerked his arm off and walked away. "I'm getting out of here."  
  
"You're such an arrogant git! Just like your father!"  
  
Hearing this, he went straight up to her mother and scowled. _"I'm not like him!"_  
  
"Prove it!" Narcissa cried. Seeing as this was going nowhere, she slumped at the chair he had previously occupied and started to sob.  
  
Draco felt a deep pang in his stomach. No matter how much he pissed around with his life, he had never made his mother cry- until now. He may be the egotistical prat that everybody hated... but he would never dare hurt her like that. It's bad enough that his father tormented their lives -and he wasn't about to start doing that to her all over again!  
  
Kneeling beside her, he took her hand and caressed it. "I'm sorry about what I said," he whispered. "And I'm sorry about the car and the arrest."  
  
Narcissa gazed at him with pleading eyes. "Why do you keep doing this to yourself? You used to be such a nice boy," She tucked a lock of his silvery blond her under his ear. "You can do so much more with your life."  
  
Draco smirked. "Yeah right. It's bad enough that I'm a Malfoy-"  
  
"Stop it!" she protested, putting her hands on his shoulders. "He's dead, you hear me… dead! He's never coming back. Never!"  
  
Draco was stunned. He wanted so badly to agree with her - but he couldn't! In his mind, he could still feel his presence wherever he went. He was like a curse that wouldn't go away. Oh how he loathed the man who destroyed his life. Even unto his grave, his fury and torment still loomed over them... like a ghost that haunted their every move. Sighing, he laid his head on her lap and closed his eyes. He was too tired to think. Too tired to fight back.  
  
  
  
Narcissa couldn't help but feel sorry for his son. All his life, he felt nothing but pain and remorse all over him. Even her love for him wasn't strong enough to shield him from the horrors of his past. She wanted nothing more but to make his son happy - because he deserved it more than ever! They both suffered dearly in the hands of a madman she once called her husband. Looking at his silent state, she vowed to herself that Draco would never go through that sort of hell again as long as she lived. She brushed her lips unto his head, wishing silently for the Fates to protect him.  
  
_My lonely angel_  
  
"Six months, right?" Draco finally said, looking glum. "I reckon I can manage that."  
  
Narcissa smiled, stroking his hair lovingly. "I know you will."  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
The Hogwarts Institute for the Disabled was quite well known in downtown London. Unlike all the other modern buildings surrounding it, its façade clearly resembles that of an old medieval castle. According to local historians, it once served as one of the guesthouses for Queen Elizabeth I and was one of the few surviving structures during the Great Fire of London in 1666.  
  
"At least it's not some beastly old shelter." Draco muttered, stepping out of his newly furnished Jaguar. Good thing he chose to wear a decent suit. He sought to make a good impression - until his probation is over, that is.  
  
The main entrance was a huge set of iron bound oak doors at least a foot thick, with the castle crest engraved it. The crest had a lion, badger, snake, an eagle, and a gold-embossed H in the middle. Its motto had the phrase _Draco Dormiens nunquam titillandus_, which meant- if his Latin served him right- never tickle a sleeping dragon.  
  
Weird, he thought. _Very weird._  
  
He was about to knock on the door when a tall, gawky man opened it for him. He seemed to be wearing some sort of uniform that was totally different from the ones worn by normal doormen.  
  
"Good day to you, Sir! Welcome to Hogwarts." He greeted, gesturing for him to come inside. Draco slightly nodded, and walked towards the foyer. To his surprise, it looked far better than what he had expected - the entrance arch had tiny horses incorporated into it, along with cherubs, scrolls, leaves and Renaissance ornamentation perfectly hand-carved in French oak. On his right stood a beautiful fireplace of marbled hand-sculptured staff work with two gargoyles supporting the mantelshelf. Even the two French sofas complemented the red carpet leading to the main staircase. Living in a huge manor himself, Draco always seemed to have an eye for Renaissance & Victorian architecture. And judging by the foyer, Hogwarts is indeed an architectural marvel!  
  
"Can I help you, sir?"  
  
Disrupting his thoughts, Draco turned and approached a thin woman sitting by the reception table. He handed her a letter from his lawyer. "I have an appointment with Mr. Severus Snape."  
  
The woman took the letter cordially and began reading it. She then went to the phone and placed a call. After a minute or so, she went back and faced him. "Kindly wait there by the sofa. Ms. Granger will arrive shortly." Draco furrowed his brow. _Ms. Granger? Must be his secretary_. He did what he was told and took his seat. Waiting impatiently, he began to worry as to what kind of "punishment" he'd have to go through.  
  
_They'd probably make me mop the floors or wipe the arse of some old daft... or worse...  
  
Babysitting!_  
  
Draco placed his hands on his face and leaned forward. "God, what kind of mess did I get myself into!" he grumbled. He couldn't take it anymore! He was about to leave, when a young woman with brown bushy hair moved towards him and extended a hand.  
  
"Draco Malfoy, I presume. I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting," she said with utmost confidence. "I'm Hermione Granger. Vice-Director Snape gives his apologizes for not being able to meet with you today."  
  
He shook her hand, eyeing her suspiciously. She didn't seem to be older or younger than he is, but with her tweed trench & suede skirt, she definitely looked quite like a professional. "May I know where he is?"  
  
"He's on a business trip at the moment." Hermione answered, gesturing that they head for the main staircase. Upon reaching the top, they turned left and into a huge corridor filled with French paintings  
  
Walking steadfast, he cast a glance at the stained windows on his left; he could not help but admire the wonderful view it had of London Harbor. "This castle is truly magnificent."  
  
Hermione beamed with pride. "It most certainly is! This castle is one of the last surviving-"  
  
"-remnants of the Great Fire of London. Clearly Miss Granger, almost all of London knows of that historical fact."  
  
Hermione frowned, embarrassed with his remark. "I see. Anyways, I have been given instructions that you would be assigned as a reader for one of our blind female residents," she stated, browsing through a pile of documents in her hands. "You are to spend 4 hours a day, 3 times a week in the library till the end of your probation."  
  
Draco grimaced at the thought of spending hours a week locked up in a room with some blind stranger. _She probably looks like a dried-up prune in a puke-stained frock!_  
  
"Also, you are to sign an attendance form from Madam Pince before and after your sessions at the reception area," she continued, handing him the form. "Vice-Director Snape has told me that if ever-"  
  
Draco wasn't paying attention to her anymore. He was too pissed on how miserable the next six months would be for him. From now on, he would have to spend his free time at Hogwarts, finish his thesis proposal with what little time he had left... and completely do away his social life.  
  
_Jail would have been so much more fun than this!_  
  
"You have any questions so far?" she asked, facing him as they stopped in front of a pair of French rosewood doors.  
  
_Yeah like, can I have my life back!?!_ "When do I start?"  
  
"Right now." Hermione pushed the two doors to reveal a huge library with one side of the wall housing a huge shelf filled with books. On the other wall was a nice fireplace, which bears the coat-of-arms of James I along its overmantel. But the one that caught his attention was the huge window wall, draped in thick red velvet curtain, giving out a spectacular view of the harbor...  
  
...and the woman sitting by the couch in the middle of the room.  
  
"Mister Malfoy, I'd like you to meet Miss Virginia Weasley. Virginia, I'd like you to meet your new reader."  
  
A young woman with dark-auburn hair stood up and offered her hand. Draco eyed her from head to toe - she had on a red satin jacket with a tweak black turtleneck and bootleg stretch trousers. She wore a pair of lilac-colored glasses, concealing her eyes.  
  
_Not bad... not bad at all..._ Draco smirked.  
  
"How do you, Mister Malfoy?" she sweetly replied, giving him a warm smile.  
  
Draco took her hand and brushed his lips on it. "Please, call me Draco."  
  
She cringed at the tone of his voice, but continued to smile. "Hmm... A gentleman. And I thought blokes like you were a dying breed."  
  
"Believe me, there are still some of us out there. You just need to look around more."  
  
"Ginny, have you already chosen what you would like Mr. Malfoy to read for you?" Hermione asked, interrupting their conversation.  
  
Ginny nodded. "If you'll both excuse me." Using her cane, she walked past them and went to the bookshelf. Scanning the books with her hands, she took out a small book and ran her fingers across its bind. She then turned towards them and handed it to Draco.  
  
"The Road Less Traveled. An excellent choice." Draco said, reading its front cover. Ginny responded with a smile.  
  
Hermione cleared her throat. "Well then, now that everything's settled, I'd better be off then." She went for the door, but turned to give Virginia one last word.  
  
"By the way, Ginny- please do _behave_ yourself."  
  
Ginny merely went back to her seat. "Oh I will! You can count on me, Hermione."  
  
Giving her one last look, she said her goodbyes and closed the doors.  
  
Draco, glancing at Virginia with utmost curiosity, began tossing the book up in the air. "Look here Virginia, why don't we skip the reading part and just-"  
  
"Will you please shut up?!" she hissed, clearly not paying attention to him at all. He glared at her. "Excuse me? Did you just told me to-"  
  
"She's gone." Ginny interrupted. She wasted no time- she stood up, took her cane and tapped her way to the fireplace. When she was about to reach the mantelshelf, a firm grip pulled her aside and rammed her against the wall.  
  
"I will not be ignored like this!" Draco snarled, staring angrily at her. "First and foremost… WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"  
  
Ginny didn't falter at his expense- she simply gave him a nasty grin. "We both know we don't what to be here so I'm doing us a huge favor. Now, step aside and let me do my job!"  
  
Draco sneered. "And may I ask what this favor is?"  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed him aside- hard. She knew that by arguing with him, they would lose this chance. She felt her way to the medieval armor standing beside the fireplace, and glided her hands, trying desperately to find the lever.  
  
Draco, feeling annoyed, stood behind her. "Sorry to interrupt you two but I believe I deserve an-"  
  
He never got to finish his sentence- he was too shocked to see the fireplace suddenly open up in two, to reveal a hidden trapdoor underneath it. Ginny then turned to him.  
  
"This is a trapdoor to an underground passageway that leads to the central courtyard. Now all you got to do is go down the ladder and walk all the way to the end. There, you will find a wooden door which would get you out of the castle and into the courtyard."  
  
Draco stared at it, and then back at her. "You expect me to go down there alone?!" he barked.  
  
"Look, this is the only way you can 'escape' from the library," she retorted. She unconsciously started tapping her cane, calming herself down. "Unless you want to get stuck here with me."  
  
_That doesn't sound like a bad idea_. Draco moved towards her. "Suppose I do want to stay, what are you gonna do about it?" he uttered nastily.  
  
Ginny merely sniggered a laugh. "Trust me, you don't want to find out. So why don't you be a good boy and do what Mummy tells you."  
  
Without a minute's notice, Draco grabbed her arms. He didn't like to be bullied around- especially by a woman. Unfortunately, Ginny was quick enough to evade it and waved her cane across Draco's legs, causing him to fall flat on his back. Not wasting time, Ginny then slammed her boot on his chest and pointed her cane just below his neck. Draco scowled at her, feeling the hard steel tip on him.  
  
"I told you not to try me, Malfoy," she drawled, pushing the cane a bit deeper.  
  
Draco smirked, even though he was getting bruised "You do this to all the men in your life?"  
  
"Unfortunately, you're the first one." Ginny tried her best not to poke too hard. The last thing she wants is to stain her precious walking stick with some arrogant prat's blood. She slowly raised it and started loosening her grip on it.  
  
Seeing this, Draco took a risk- he seized her cane and swayed it off him. But alas, Ginny, losing her balance, accidentally stepped on his groin. Draco glowered in pain, as Ginny fell to the floor.  
  
"Dammit, are you out of your mind?!" she shouted, trying to find her cane. "Can't you see that I'm blind?!"  
  
"Yeah, well you sure don't act like one!" Draco gritted out, and closed his eyes. He felt as if his whole body was wrenched in pain. Even his brain seemed numb. But the one thing that hurt the most from this encounter- was his ego.  
  
Ginny breathed hard. _This is not part of the plan!_ "Can you stand up?" she asked, finally grabbing her cane.  
  
"Geez, I'll see if my groin would agree to that!" he scoffed. Sensing the pain fading away, he tried standing up and leaned against the wall. His groin was still in pain, yet he didn't want to give her the pleasure of sensing him at his worst disposition.  
  
_So much for first impressions._ He closed his eyes and racked his hair. _Could this day get any worse!?!_  
  
Ginny, hearing Draco stand up, went up to him with caution. She sighed. "This is not the time for us to argue and fight. All you need to do is go down that bloody ladder and get the hell out of here. Is that so hard to do?"  
  
"Easy for you to say. I've never been down there. What if there's no passageway, and for all I know, you're probably trying to lock me down there for all eternity!"  
  
Ginny groaned. _This bloke is so dead stubborn!_ Grabbing his arm, she quickly led him to the door. "Fine! I'll SHOW you the way!" Ginny was about to go down when she suddenly remembered something. She guided her way towards the side table by the sofa and took out a small tape recorder. She pressed the PLAY button and turned the volume up. A man's voice suddenly came out of the small box.  
  
_... of all the misconceptions about love the most powerful and pervasive is the belief that "falling in love" is love or at least one of the manifestations of love. It is a potent misconception, because falling in love..._  
  
Draco clapped his hands, admiring her 'work.' "Very clever, Weasley. I couldn't have done it better myself."  
  
"Coming from you, I take that as a compliment." She paced her way back to the trapdoor and climbed downwards. Draco started to feel unsure. Can he really trust her... especially after what she did? He began checking his options- he could just follow her and get as far away from this place as possible; or stay here and end up boring himself to death! But he couldn't help but feel awkward and dim for letting a blind girl guide him! Who does she think she is?! Just because she lives here doesn't mean she knows the place by heart, can she? Draco growled in utter annoyance. _I can't believe I'm doing this! God, how low can I get!?!_  
  
"Oy! Are you coming down or not?" Ginny called out from below.  
  
"Alright already!" Draco snapped, still trying to figure out what to do next. With the tape recorder playing verses of the book, and the slightly infuriating pride pounding on his head, he decided to do the unthinkable...  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
"Finally! I was starting to get lonely down here!" Ginny remarked sarcastically, as Draco slowly descended the ladder. The place was totally dark and damp- two things he hated the most!  
  
"I can't see a thing down here!"  
  
"Welcome to my world, mate! Now hand me your lighter."  
  
"How the hell do you know that I have one?"  
  
Ginny slightly stepped forward and sniffed his shirt. "You're covered with spliffs smoke," she confirmed. "So quit stalling and just hand it over to me."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes, and placed a dragon-shaped lighter on her hand. "Take it!"  
  
She leered at him, clicked the lighter, and placed the flame in one of the torches along the passageway. Instantly, all of the torches blazed, making the hall as bright as day. Placing her hand against the wall, Ginny started to move forward. "The whole tunnel was made as one of the escape routes for Queen Elizabeth I during the war. Fortunately, nobody uses this one anymore."  
  
Draco followed, keeping a close eye on her. Despite her tough demeanor, he could not help but be mesmerized by her grace and confidence. Even though she's a few inches shorter than him, her slender legs made her look taller. Her hair always seemed to sway whenever she moved- making it more stunning than it already was.  
  
_Too bad she's a redhead._  
  
"Quit staring at me," Ginny spat, feeling totally self-conscious. "It's bad enough that I'm wasting my time on you!"  
  
"Like I would even glance at a girl like you," Draco said, mockingly. "Hell, you're not even my type!"  
  
"Let me guess... dumb blondes? Exotic brunettes?"  
  
"Most likely... not like you... temperamental... egotistic..."  
  
"... and a lot smarter than you," Ginny cut him off. "Honestly, do you really think that you're God's gift to women?"  
  
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Draco teased. "Come on, I'm not gonna hurt you."  
  
Ginny stopped and faced him. "For starters, I happen to be blind... so even if you strip down naked right now... I won't even cringe!" she smirked, folding her arms across her chest. "And one more thing- I'm not that DESPERATE to get shagged... especially with an arsehole like you."  
  
"Really?" Draco continued to taunt. He tried grabbing her again, "Maybe you like a little demonstration..."  
  
Ginny then swerved her cane just high enough to hit him on the cheek. Draco moved back, rubbing it franticly.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU?" he barked, his anger slowly rising. "First you banged my legs, stepped on my-"  
  
"I told you to stay away from me." She retorted. She then turned her back at him, and tapped away at the end of a corner. Judging from the Braille labels posted on the wall, they'd be at the clearing anytime soon. She was rather pleased with herself. One of the few things she loathed the most was when people mocked her- just because she's 'visually impaired.' She knew she had to learn how to defend herself and not look daft in front of others.  
  
_Besides, I know men like him would only end up hurting her again._  
  
Draco decided not to bother her anymore. It's bad enough that he'd experience this much pain in one day- let alone by a blind girl! But deep inside, he was kinda impressed at how she handled herself. She was totally different from all the women in his life. They were the type that literally flaunt all over him just to get his attention. She, on the other hand, nearly tried to kill him!  
  
"So why are you here? In Hogwarts, I mean?" Ginny asked, trying to start a conversation. Not that she wanted to talk to him; but the silence between them was driving her crazy!  
  
"Why do you wanna know?" Draco asked quizzically.  
  
"Just curious. I mean, you're not the kind of person who would drop his social life to spend time with disabled folks like us."  
  
Draco moaned, his head throbbing from too much noise "I got caught for drunk driving."  
  
"Ahh... I figured you'd do something stupid like that," she quipped, tapping her cane with much fervor. "It was either that or you decided to rob a bank- not that you need the money."  
  
"What makes you say that?" Draco asked, getting more annoyed than ever.  
  
"Judging from your perfume- which I believe is highly expensive- you seem too rich to even care about other people's business... especially if it doesn't concern you at all!"  
  
"You seemed to know me very well..." He jeered. "What about you? What's your _crime?_"  
  
Ginny chuckled. "Let's just say I like to bend the rules a bit."  
  
"So you're a troublemaker?"  
  
"And you're a piss-head... I guess that makes us even."  
  
Draco furrowed his brow. Nobody had ever told him flat-out about his drinking- not even his mother! Sure, he had a few occasional drinks along the side... but to be called one is totally unnerving. "I'm not a drunk!" he hissed.  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, here's where you get off," She was now standing in front of an old rustic door with an iron-wrought handle. She let go of her walking stick, placed it against the wall, and pulled the handle with all her might. "Mind giving me a hand?"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes, and took the handle from her. He tugged the door till he was able to open it. The opening was completely covered with vines, climbing roses and honeysuckle. Ginny passed through it to reveal the central courtyard. Its walls were covered with English ivy reaching till the granite walkway along the perimeter. The whole place had greenery all over, with a cherub-like fountain at the center.  
  
"There's a hidden gate heading to a street just outside the castle," Ginny pointed to her left with her stick. "Follow the narrow road, and you'll be at the parking lot before Stan notices you."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Hey, I got you this far, did I?" With that, Ginny turned and headed for the door. "One more thing," Ginny reminded as she reached the opening. "Don't tell this to anybody, okay?"  
  
"Suppose I do tell this to-"  
  
"You won't." Ginny interrupted, completely closing the door. Draco grunted, and strolled frantically towards the gate  
  
"See you on Wednesday then."  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
_I'm only human  
A flesh and blood I'm made  
Human  
_  
"Born to make mistakes." Ginny hummed, typing away on her Type 'n Speak keyboard. The CD component boomed like crazy, but she was too preoccupied with the manuscript she was doing. She stopped for awhile, traced her fingers on her Braille book, and typed again. After what seemed like hours, she felt tired. She slipped a packet of cocaine out of her pocket, carefully tipped some on an empty matchbox, and snorted it up. She was about to start typing again when a loud clatter echoed through the whole room.  
  
"Colin! How many times do I have to tell you to use the pulley and not throw off your bloody wheelchair!" she shouted, the effects of the cocaine slowly taking its course on her. "You're gonna end up waking Filch again!"  
  
"Yeah... yeah," Colin called out, trying desperately to climb down the rope and into his now-beaten up chair. "Do you have any idea how old that pulley is? I swear, it can't even carry a bag of peanuts!"  
  
Ginny moaned, placing her hands on her face. "Fine. My mistake. I promise to try to tinker it AGAIN!" She stood up and stretched her arms. Colin rolled past her and into a nearby table. She could almost smell the food he brought it. "Don't tell me you pinched some snacks again."  
  
"Hey! I got hungry along the way," He defended himself, rummaging under a huge bag of goodies. "Besides, I heard you were playing your Crash CD... and that only happens when you're in a foul mood so I thought I'd bring you something to eat."  
  
Ginny smiled. Colin Creevey had been her best mate every since he moved in at Hogwarts some ten years ago. He had been paralyzed from the waist down, and his parents decided to board him in due to his therapy sessions at the hospital wing. For as long as they could remember, they had been inseparable. They did almost everything together from playing pranks to "pinching" sessions at the Mess Hall. They even discovered all the hidden tunnels and passageways of the castle, and made one of the old underground military chambers as their own little "hideaway". The 'Crypt', as they would call it, had everything they needed to "survive"- beanbags, camp beds, Apple Mac (with Internet), CD component system, ref, microwave oven, phone... even a small telly! Whenever they felt like they needed an 'escape' (especially after pulling a stunt on Snape), this was the first place they went to. "Thanks. So what do you got?"  
  
"I got some baps, crisps, jellies, lollies... which one do you like, tuna or chicken mayonnaise?" She wasn't really hungry but she couldn't say 'NO' to his offer. "Tuna... and you got some biscuits there too." Colin handed it over to her. He took out a small bottle and poured some lemonade in a glass. He gave one to her and wheeled himself to the Mac. "So what's up? You had a bad day?" he asked, opening his email.  
  
Ginny slumped on her bag. "Terrible is more like it! I had to literally drag that bloody idiot into the tunnel. I tell you, he's the most narcissistic prat I had ever met in my entire life!" She gulped her lemonade. "He even tried to physically harass me!"  
  
"I guess that explains the bent on your cane," he commented. Colin then started to go to various University sites all across the UK. "What's the guy's name again?"  
  
"Draco Malfoy. Why?" Ginny asked curiously. She leant forward, hearing him type on his Mac quite fervently. "What are you searching for?"  
  
Colin clicked his mouse and peered at the monitor. "Draco Edward Malfoy. Son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. A fresher from Durmstrang University with a course in Political Science. He's at the top five percent of his class and even has a football scholarship. His A-level marks are one of the highest last year and is currently a student representative. Blimey! This bloke is so bloody perfect, I think I'm gonna puke!"  
  
"What do you mean? You must've gotten all your information wrong."  
  
"G, trust me," he assured her, as she stood beside him. "He's the only one registered under that name in all the universities and colleges all over the country. Who else could it be?"  
  
Ginny couldn't believe. She groaned in horror. "Are you saying that... that... git... is as good as it gets?!"  
  
"I'm afraid so. Too bad you don't get to see him. He's quite a charmer. Let's see, 6'2 in height, silver blonde hair, gray eyes-"  
  
"I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE!"  
  
"Then stop screaming the hell out of me! Jesus, I'm a frigging cripple for crying out loud, not a deaf-mute!"  
  
Ginny sighed, pacing furiously in circles. "I can't believe this is happening to me-"  
  
"G, your shades are falling off..." Colin said, warningly.  
  
"I can't go back there. There is no way I'm going to be stuck in a room with him ever again! I'd rather hang myself than go through that kind of 'torture'!"  
  
"G, your shades are falling-"  
  
"I HEARD YOU!" Ginny barked, pushing her shades up her nose. Colin, shaking his head, took her hand and dragged her to the nearest beanbag. "Sit down, G. You're making me nauseous."  
  
Ginny sat, completely exhausted by her outburst. Rubbing her temples, she started to calm herself down. "I can't believe Snape actually set the whole thing up. I swear to you, he is going to _pay_ dearly for this if it's the last thing I do!"  
  
"I reckon you don't need to worry about that, luv," Colin teased.  
  
Ginny eyed him mischievously. "What did you do this time, Creevey?"  
  
He chuckled, moving closer to her. "Remember how he always wanted to renovate his office?"  
  
"Yeah. So?"  
  
"He said that the one thing he hated about it the most were the wallpapers-"  
  
"Oh my God, you didn't?" she gawked.  
  
"So he decided to order new ones online... and guess what color he chose?"  
  
Ginny giggled, trying desperately not to laugh. "Let me guess? Something that has flowers in it?"  
  
"Yellow daisies in a very chic pink background- with a few butterflies on the side!"  
  
They couldn't contain it anymore- they laughed out so hard their stomachs were churning madly!  
  
"I can't believe you just did that!" she whimpered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He will definitely throw a wobbly when he sees it!"  
  
"Hey! Nobody messes with my girl and gets away with it," he beamed. "Besides, it's been ages since we last pulled a prank this good!"  
  
Ginny laughed. "Right you are! This would definitely go down as one of our best executed plans ever!"  
  
"Speaking of plans, what are you going to do about Mr. Perfect-To-The-Core Malfoy?"  
  
"Simple." She groped on the floor and picked up her Type 'N Speak. She then pressed the Sound button.  
  
_... It was in the spring of 1890 that I learned to speak. The impulse to utter audible sounds had always been strong within me. I used to make noises, keeping one hand on my throat..._  
  
Colin gasped. "Oh God, no! You are not going to force me to recor-"  
  
"Do you want your best mate to be incarcerated for murder?" Ginny blurted out.  
  
Colin glared at her, before grabbing the keyboard off her hands. "This better be worth it!"  
  
Ginny grinned, putting on her personal stereo, "I know you'll see it my way."  
  
  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
  
The castle architecture was inspired by the **Belcourt Castle**, located near Rhode Islands, USA. To see actual pictures of the place, go to http://www.belcourtcastle.com  
  
The **Type N' Speak keyboard** lets you input and edit directly into its memory, and instantly reads back the information through the internal speech synthesizer at the press of a single command. For more info, head to http://www.freedomscientific.com  
  
The songs used on this chapter are from **"System"** by Chester Bennington of Linkin Park from the Queen of the Damned OST & **"Human"** by The Human League from their Crash album. Again, DO NOT OWN THIS SONGS... SO PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!!  
  
The first reading was taken from page 84 of the book **"A Road Less Traveled"** by M. Scott Peck. (UK Edition, 1978) The second reading is from page 42 of the book **"The Story of My Life"** by Helen Keller. (US Paperback Edition, 1990)  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER:** All of the characters and places here are owned and copyrighted by JK Rowling.  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
  
The idea of Dr. Thomas Riddle is not my own. I actually borrowed it, with her permission, from **MochaButterfly's fic _All You Need Is Love_**... which I am so deeply grateful for! Please do read all her fics... she is truly one of the BEST!  
  
I also would like to thank all my beta-readers: **Pat** & **reiko** for helping me with some of the scenes (you guys are my guardian angels! thanks so much!!!), **Animagus_Steph** & **Fred** for patiently fixing my grammars (you two are the BEST at what you do! thanks!!!), and **Clairvoyant_Snake**, **Nida Amhed** & **Rosandra May** for making sure that it was a fun-filled read (your opinions are so precious to me!) I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! ::gives warm hugs & kisses to everybody!!!::  
  
Before i go, I forgot to clarify that this is a purely Muggle AU fic... meaning, they're all Muggles and yes, Draco and Ginny don't know each other before their 1st meeting at the library. Anyhow, I hope this fact doesn't discourage you guys from reading my story... i do promise to make it as good as possible! ;p  
  
------  
  
  
**Chapter Two**  
  
"Draco, my boy! Why so gloomy?" Adrian Pucey asked, sitting next to him on the parlor. "The beer can't be that bad?" he asked, more like shouted, amid the loud music booming from the enormous speakers idly situated in the four corners of the posh fraternity house. He momentarily looked away from him as his green eyes followed two skimpily clad college tarts walking past them. He turned to Draco and grinned.  
  
"Hmm, smell that Draco?" he asked while sniffing lightly. "It's the smell of freedom, gentle perfume, women," he stopped and grinned at him evilly, "sex," he concluded, chuckling.  
  
Draco smirked. "I'm sure," he said with mild sarcasm, his metal gray eyes riveting towards the two women who caught Adrian's eyes. Surmising them to be 'too blonde' and 'too brunette' for his taste, he turned to Adrian's inquiring gaze.  
  
"No, the beer's fine. It's my day that isn't." He started swinging his bottle between his fingers. Instead of going home after school and finish off his thesis proposal, he decided to drop by one of the frat houses situated near Durmstrang. He needed a distraction.  
  
A distraction from _her._  
  
"Cheer up, lad! We're not here to mope," the other man said, shaking his head and patting him on the back. "We're here to PARTY!" he shouted, much to the delight of the throng. He then stood up and started 'freak' dancing, sandwiched in between a pair of blondes who couldn't even stop giggling. Adrian caught his eye and pointed at the brunette woman who was eyeing him quite suggestively. When he gave him a thumbs-up sign, Draco shook his head, simply lit a smoke, drew hard and stared at the crowd. He was in no mood to party. Still, yesterday's events seemed to haunt him relentlessly.  
  
_Why can't I get her out of my mind!_ Draco hissed to himself, taking another swig at his beer. Rubbing his still-sore cheek, he couldn't help at admire the young girl's spunk.  
  
  
_WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU??? First you banged my legs, stepped on my-  
  
I told you to stay away from me._  
  
  
Draco, nevertheless found himself smiling. He took another drag, filling his lungs with the delicious smoke. The little redhead was definitely something worth 'exploring' for. _Wonder how tough she could be in bed_, he thought, blowing a cloud of smoke in front of him, momentarily blurring his face from everybody else.  
  
Dismissing such thoughts, he looked at his watch and sighed. He took one last pull and smoothly threw the finished fag on the already dirty floor, his right foot thumping on it automatically. He knew that the night was young and there were still over a dozen cases of beer to be finished but like the 'great' student he was, he still needed to finish off his proposal. He was about to stand up when a sensuous drawl seemed to have caught him off track.  
  
"Going somewhere, Draco?"  
  
Draco turned from his seat only to find a beautiful brunette standing before him. He eyed her from head to foot and judging from her black slinky dress, he quickly decided that she was absolutely stunning. He smirked as she bent down a little to give him a small glimpse of her generous bosom, her fingers started caressing his arm. Upon seeing the small butterfly tattoo on the upper right side of her breast, he let out a wanton smile.  
  
"Blaise, Blaise, Blaise. What did I do to deserve your utmost attention?"  
  
Taking that as a willing invitation, Blaise Zabini smiled and sat close beside him. Then out of the blue, she began stroking his chest. Draco raised one eyebrow, his expression still harboring feelings of boredom mixed with subtle interest. "Not much," she replied in that soft purring voice of hers. Then she let her fingers undo the first two buttons of his shirt, Draco not stopping her. "You seemed to be bored. Is there something wrong?" she asked while her expert fingers began creeping up and down against the smooth skin of his lean chest.  
  
Draco found himself licking his lips, his eyes settling from her eyes to her chest. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just a tad bit knackered," he stressed, his sense of vision not leaving her supple breasts. He took on a deep breath upon feeling her hands slowly dipping sensuously down his body.  
  
When Blaise felt the rising heat from his voice, she let out a soft but coquettish laugh. She quickly took her hand out, much to Draco's disappointment. "Oh too bad. Adrian's party wearing you off?" she teased as Draco fought to keep a straight face. "I'm not knackered yet," she added meaningfully.  
  
He found himself smiling at this. "Then what do you suggest we do to pass the time?" he asked, his voice already rasping. He just had this feeling where this would lead to.  
  
"Come up with me," said Blaise simply.  
  
Draco chuckled at this. "Are you always this straight forward?" he asked as the woman started taking his hand and giving it light kisses. Suddenly, a pleasurable hiss came out his lips when Blaise took one of his fingers and placed it inside her mouth.  
  
"I wouldn't call it being straight forward," she said after a moment, finally letting go of Draco's hand. "I just know what I want."  
  
"Knowing is not enough," said Draco, as his eyes landed on the packed dance floor only to see Adrian already having a snogging contest with one of the totties he was dancing with earlier. He took another stick from his pack and deftly placed it in between his lips. He was about to light it when Blaise suddenly took the stick away from his mouth, distracting him.  
  
"And I get what I want," she drawled, tossing it on the floor.  
  
Draco smirked arrogantly. "Maybe this time I might be able to prove you wrong," he quipped.  
  
"Try me."  
  
He stared at her for a long time. He has a thesis proposal waiting for him at home. It was due for next week and he hadn't even got to do half of it. He was currently under probation and was trying hard not to get on his mum's nerves- especially at this moment. Then he would have to be up extra early tomorrow morning for that blasted community service he was obligated to do, by law and by word and doing so, meant he had to see her again.  
  
_"Her!"_ his brain hissed, remembering the almost homicidal, BLIND woman who nearly cost him his life and not to mention, his only 'happiness.'  
  
At the sudden thought of her, Draco's eyes narrowed. He smiled and picked himself up from the couch. As he had said, the night was still young anyway. "Yeah," he drawled while the woman gave him a winning but humorless smile. "All right then."  
  
He put his arm over her shoulders and led her upstairs.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
_Like a virgin  
Touched for the first time..._  
  
"Damn you, Creevey!" Ginny grumbled, groping sleepily towards the radio alarm clock by her nightstand. Grabbing the clock, she angrily threw it toward the wall across her chamber.  
  
"Hey! You better watch where you're throwing that thing," Neville Longbottom warned, catching it after he shielded his face from it. "Did the bedbugs bite you or something?"  
  
"HAH! Tell Colin to stay away from my alarm clock!" she shouted, tossing the covers aside. "The last thing I want to hear first thing in the morning is some over-rated downright pathetic 80s pop trash!" Ginny tugged her hair senseless as the lyrics of the songs rambled through her head.  
  
_Like a virgin  
where you heart beats  
next to mine..._  
  
"ARRHH!!! I HATE THAT SONG!!!"  
  
"Sshh! Will you quiet down?! We wouldn't want to wake all the ghouls and have them lurking about the castle now, would we?" Neville hissed, looking towards the corridors outside her chamber. Seeing nobody coming out, he went back in. Ginny was now searching under her bed for her cane. Picking it up (which was lying near her bedside table), he handed it to her. "You never change, do you Gin? Always the litterbug."  
  
"Thanks Nev… NEVILLE!" she shrieked, clutching her cane then jumping back to her covers. "What the bloody hell are you doing in my chamber!"  
  
"Well, hullo to you too!" he replied sarcastically. _Arh!!! You dolt, why did you just say that! She'd probably think you're mad at her!_ Every since he started his volunteer work, he had developed a massive crush on her. Unfortunately though... he didn't have the guts to tell her that. _Just try to be nice and formal._ He then moved towards her night table and placed the clock back to its rightful place. "Vice Director Snape strictly told me to wake you up, in case you plan to 'skip' your sessions today."  
  
"What sessions?" Ginny asked quizzically.  
  
"Your reading session." he answered, tidying up some of her CDs scattered on the floor. "Jesus, Gin! Do you ever clean your room at all?!"  
  
_Oh! THAT session._  
  
Ginny yawned and went back to sleep. "Tell him I'm sick." _Which I will be, if I end up breathing the same air with that stupid prat!_  
  
Neville gaped at her sleeping form. _Snape will kill me if he finds out about this!_ "Oh no! Don't you do this to me!" Pulling off the covers, he suddenly stopped and gulped.  
  
"Hey! Give that back! Can't you see I'm trying to get some kip here!" Ginny retorted, tugging her covers furiously. "Damn it Nev, since when did you became Snape's lap dog!"  
  
Neville merely stared at her for he didn't notice how short her boxers were- and how her breasts were partially "exposed" over the spaghetti-strapped top she was wearing. He turned away and blushed sheepishly. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to… I'm gonna to leave now!" He then went towards the door.  
  
_Great Gin! Scare to poor bloke off!_ "Wait!" Ginny called, causing Neville to jump. "Don't go. You know, I think I should be the one who should apologize to you. What I just did was totally and utterly rude of me." She stepped out of the bed, and started searching for him. "Umm… Nev, where are you?"  
  
He slowly moved towards her, yet still kept his distance. "I'm at your right. Really Gin, I still have some…"  
  
"You can't leave now!" Taking his wrist, she quickly dragged him towards her wardrobe. "Since Colin's not here, and I'm still pissed off with what he did, you have to help me get dressed."  
  
"WHAT!" he croaked, his face burning with embarrassment and trying desperately not to imagine her naked in front of him.  
  
Ginny giggled at his response. "It's not like that! You're just gonna help me choose the clothes I'm going to wear. Believe me, I have no plans of walking out of here with mismatched socks." She opened up her dresser to reveal an array of garments ranging from a simple white frock to a zebra-striped asymmetric top. "Pick what you like and we'll start from there."  
  
Her reassuring smile made him relax a bit. He'd never "dressed" a woman before, since he spent his whole childhood living with his grandmother- and she never needed his help at all! He had always been proud of how she was able to raise him on her own. Her love for doing menial housework from cleaning the house to cooking meals had influenced him in taking a career in hotel management. He wanted everybody to experience that sort of 'homely' atmosphere that he has grown to love and cherish. Now, the challenge of picking the perfect outfit for the prettiest girl in all of Hogwarts was something he didn't train for.  
  
"Gin, how come you have tons of clothes, though I don't remember ever seeing you going out much?" he inquired, scanning all her clothes. It seemed every divider in her wardrobe had a Braille label on it, indicating what color and clothing is stored.  
  
"Oh. Hermione usually buys them for me. She insists on doing it, since she keeps telling me I dress like a boy. Sometimes, Colin buys me a few things online. I think all my leather skirts were his idea."  
  
"First he dresses you up, now he buys you clothes??? Damn. And I thought the guy was 'straight'."  
  
"Hey! Colin's not poofed!!! And if you ever say that to me again, I'll-"  
  
"Jeez Gin, can't you take a joke when you hear one?" Neville quipped. "Besides, I know how tight the two of you are. That's why Snape can't stand the sight of you guys wreaking havoc all over the place." After much consideration, he picked up a nice peasant top and a short denim skirt. "Let's see how look you in this outfit. And try wearing it with these old white sandals of yours."  
  
Ginny looked abruptly at him. "Oh. Thanks Neville." Holding all her clothes, she walked towards a pair of avant-garde screens she used as her changing area. "I'll be done in a sec."  
  
Neville then sighed tiredly, taking a seat on her bed and surveyed the area. Her chamber walls were hand-painted on canvas from floor to ceiling, in a repetitive design of a folded patterned drapery hung under the dado of oak with carved roundels decorated in antique rose and blue. The fireplace and chimneypiece were as close to the authentic 10th century style- hole in the roof above a central hearth - as prudence and fear of a disastrous fire would permit. In the center of the room hung a beautiful 18th century chandelier, which had a gold-leafed wrought iron frame and variety of rare hand-cut French crystal bells and Czechoslovakian prisms and beads. The whole place looked fit for a princess! The only things of modern luxury in it were her stacks of CDs on an old rattan boxed rack, Braille books piled across her study desk, and a compact CD component she got from Colin's parents for Christmas. But the thing that bothered him the most was the well-cushioned rocking chair situated near her beautifully draped window, overlooking the London skyline.  
  
"I didn't know you like to stare by the window." He teased, looking out of her window. "Been spying on Stan lately?"  
  
"Oh yeah! I've been trying to snog that guy for ages," She said sardonically, as she moved towards him. "So, how do I look?"  
  
Neville turned and flushed once more. She decided to let her hair down, causing its curly tips to fall just below her breasts. The skirt truly emphasized her long legs, making her look quite taller that what she seemed. Even the sandals made her look more feminine than her usual black leather boots she always favored.  
  
Hesitating at first, but nonetheless giving in, he went up to her and slightly tugged the sleeves of her blouse to reveal her bare shoulders. "Perfect." he whispered.  
  
She smiled, and gave him a peck on the cheek, making his face turn scarlet. "Thank you, Mr. Longbottom. Your services will no longer be needed." Using the walking stick she was holding, she swanned toward her night table to pick up her favorite lilac sunglasses.  
  
_It's now or never, Longbottom! Just go for it!_ Crossing his fingers, he took a deep breath and stood behind her. "Wudyugooutwime?"  
  
He was standing so close to her that Ginny suddenly jumped. Looking puzzled, she turned to him. "What?"  
  
"I was kinda… um… you know… er… thinking maybe… well… I could…"  
  
"Neville, what's up?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern. "You seem kinda nervous," She then placed her hand on his forehand. "You're not sick, are you?"  
  
He grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Would you go out with me tomorrow?" he simply blurted out. "There's this new jazz band playing outside this pub called The Three Broomsticks and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me."  
  
She giggled, making his stomach lurch. "Why not. After what you did for me today, how could I ever say 'NO' to you." she said sweetly.  
  
"Really?" he stammered, feeling nauseous all of the sudden. _Did she say "Yes"? Oh God…_  
  
She sighed, pulling her hand from his grip and tousled his hair a bit. "Meet me at the main foyer at around six-ish. And I promise not to bring Colin along… though it might cause a tiff between the two of us."  
  
Neville couldn't believe what he just heard. He wanted so much to give her a big hug right about now! Suddenly, his knees began to wobble from sheer joy. _Oh God! I think I'm going to faint!_  
  
"Nev, you sure you're all right?"  
  
"Yeah!" he exclaimed, straightening himself up. "My pen kinda fell off." He then took out a handkerchief and wiped off the sweat from his face. _Good thing she didn't notice how nervous I was!_ "You're off to the library, right?"  
  
"Yes. I'm supposed to go to my reading session, just like what you told me earlier." she replied, controlling herself not to giggle. Not that she really fancied him… but he was such a dear, she couldn't possibly turn him down. Then again, she wasn't in the mood to go out either.  
  
_How long has it been since I last gone out on a date? Six months? A year? Damn! Now he's making me feel nervy all of the sudden…_  
  
"Right. Well, since I was planning to pop in Vice Director Snape's office, why don't I escort you to the library. I was kinda hoping you'd pick out a few books I need to borrow for my report on Renaissance dining and table manners."  
  
"Okay." She then went ahead to the door, with him close by her side. As they walked along the corridors, Neville couldn't help but stare at her serene face, looking calm and composed.  
  
_I wonder what's she's thinking right now?_ He thought. _She probably thinks I'm some charity case that she has to put up with. Damn it! Why am I such a nitwit!_  
  
Ginny wasn't thinking about her date at all- she was more preoccupied with her reader. Every since their first meeting, she appeared to be a bit ratty all of the sudden. Just the mere thought of his scent drove her off her trolley! _And that sneering drawl of his! ARH!_ she hissed to herself, not letting Neville sense what's going through her head. She'd thought of countless reasons why she loathed him: his supposed good looks (silver-blond hair with gray eyes… now what kind of bloody color is that?), rich disposition (he goes to a prestigious univ for Christ's sake!) or his "charming" personality (which lead to his "downfall" so to speak). But alas, the truth of the manner is…  
  
_He reminded me of HIM. And I'm not going to make that mistake again…_  
  
"So tell me about this reader of yours?" Neville asked, clearly disrupting her thoughts. "I hear from some of the ladies that he's quite a charmer."  
  
_Hah! That's a laugh._ "Some rich bloke named Draco Malfoy. Colin says he's goes to Durm-"  
  
"DRACO MALFOY! As in Draco Edward Malfoy of the Malfoy Estates." He gawped, making her stop and turned her attention to him.  
  
"Yeah. The one and only. You know him?" she asked. It'd be quite interesting to know more about that _despicable_ prat other than his much-gloated CV.  
  
"Know him? He literally RUINED my whole life!" Neville snapped, causing Ginny to back off a bit. "We used to go to the same school when I was young, and all he would do is taunt and laugh at how pudgy and insanely chinless I was. One time, he shoved me across the corridors when I accidentally stumbled on his science project. It was totally one of the most embarrassing moments of my life…"  
  
Neville rambled on and on all the way to the library about how much that "superficial inconsiderately inhuman prat made him the laughing stock of all of London High." At that point, Ginny's head was spinning from too much noise… or too much of everything. She then grabbed his arm (luckily, he still stayed by her right side) and calmed him down.  
  
"Look Neville, I know how you feel… and to tell you what, I totally agree with you. He's definitely a disgusting little prick!"  
  
"THANK YOU! I've been trying to convince them that he's always up to no-good… but no! Nobody paid attention-"  
  
"I got your point, Neville. And don't worry, I won't let him get on my nerves." she winked, giving him a nice squeeze. "Besides, he can't harm me as long as I have this-" she said, pointing at her forehead. "- and this." she added, raising her walking stick.  
  
Neville chuckled, seeing the little dents on her cane. He then told her the books that he needed and where they were located ("It's in the middle of the topmost shelf, you wouldn't miss it!"). Before leaving, he held her hand and brushed his lips on it, thanking her for their date tomorrow and assuring her of the great time they'll be having.  
  
"I simply can't wait." she mused, finally letting go of his hand, as she heard his footsteps heading the opposite direction. Breathing deeply, she took her matchbox, put her hand up to her face as though she was coughing and took another hit on the cocaine. She needed the edge if she wanted to keep up with him. She then turned and faced the double doors leading to the library… hoping to God that _he_ already left and headed for the tunnel. Clutching her cane firmly, she heaved a sigh and pushed the doors.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
"Why am I here again?" Draco muttered, pinching off his cigarette and dropping it in what appeared to be an ancient ashtray. His head was smarting with a hangover the size of a boulder, not to mention his body was still sore from last night's "rendezvous". Even his mother was a pain-in-the-arse. He recalled the row they had a while ago.  
  
  
_"Mum, I can't go today! My head is throbbing and I have a pap-"  
  
"Don't you dare split hairs on me, young man! If you hadn't gone home hammered and zonked off your wits, we wouldn't be having this little chitchat. Now get up before I drag you out of this room myself."_  
  
  
Picking up his fourth smoke of the day, he lit it up and gave it a puff. Much as he hated being here, he also has his reasons why he planned on staying much longer than he should.  
  
He wanted to see her.  
  
It wasn't because she fascinated him- he just wanted to see if she still had that pulsating effect that was so damn annoying and captivating at the same time. Even rogering a scrummy talent like Blaise wasn't enough to keep his mind from wondering off to some place much more enticing… with a certain redhead in mind. This girl was definitely a threat to whatever reputation he had worked so hard to establish. Draco Malfoy doesn't fawn over women- they fawn over him… and he planned to keep it that way.  
  
With his legs stretched across the coffee table in front of him, he leaned back at the couch he was sitting on, and started thinking of ways to wind her up. He could always tell her that her whole face looked like a pile of grime or that her clothes are far worse than those of his chambermaids…  
  
"If you plan on burning down the whole place, I'd be well chuffed if you started off with Snapey's office just down the hall."  
  
He sighed and was ready for his long and insulting speech.  
  
Big mistake.  
  
Instead of his planned travesty, he gazed at her with utter disbelief. All treachery disintegrated right before him as she strolled pass him and stomped her way towards the window upfront to open them. The skirt truly made certain that her legs were indeed as slender and sexy as how he'd imagine it. Her shoulders were white and smooth, with just a dash of freckles to add to the allure. Even her feet were a tad bit small and dainty, making him want to go up to her and give her a nice arousing foot massage.  
  
_God, I think I'm gonna have a stiffy todger right this minute!!!_  
  
"Well now, I didn't expect you to return to this place…" she scoffed, slowing tapping her way towards the medieval armour. "… especially after what I did to you last time."  
  
Draco was too mesmerized by her, that he didn't notice that she was already making a mockery of him. He smirked and took one last drag. "I wasn't planning to… but then I decided that I'd would have been so daft to pass an opportunity to rag you all day. It was either that or a bunch of research work l should have started swotting a long time ago. I choose the former."  
  
This made Ginny turn and glare at him. She was too browned off by this bloody plonker, she could have thrown a huge wobbly at him. "Seems to me you've been a bad student lately. Why, has Durmstrang been driving you crackers with all your stuffy paperwork? Or did that just prove to me that your brilliant A-level scores were just a huge fib?"  
  
Draco gritted his teeth, trying hard not to lose his temper. _Who did she think she is, prying into his life like that!_ He then shook his head and clapped. "You have impressed me again, Miss Weasley! I didn't know you were such a damn good _snut!_ If I knew you were interested in me, I would have answered every single question you'd have liked to ask me… for a certain cost that is."  
  
_Why, you slimy little prick!_ "Let's put it this way… if ever I face an 'opponent,' I like to be prepared…." she said casually, deciding not to open the tunnel after all. At this point of the conversation, this bloke was definitely getting on her nerves. _And what the bloody hell is a snut!_ "… it's better to have the upper hand early on in the game, rather than be stomped in the end."  
  
"The way I see it, you don't play by the rules," he leered, making an effort to stare at her legs as she slowly took a seat right across him. _Damn those lovely thighs of hers!_ "I know I shouldn't be mean but… checking out one's CV is clearly way out of line."  
  
She slightly crossed her legs and beamed at him. "Well, I didn't do it _intentionally._ A dear mate of mine was nice enough to do the dirty on you. And to be honest, I'm a bit gobsmacked myself! Who would think that an egotistical prat like yourself would be one of the most promising young men this side of the Atlantic. Pretty ironic, isn't?"  
  
"Hardly. I worked my way up the ladder, just like any lad my age… and believe me, the perks of the job are quite rewarding." Draco drawled, bending his neck just so he could take a mere glimpse at her knickers. _Let's see now… cotton or lace?_  
  
"If you intend on gawping at my legs, you might as well have the decency to ask for my permission," Ginny replied sarcastically, grabbing at a cushion pillow by her side and placing it on her lap. "It's totally Neanderthal of you."  
  
"How can you say I was doing such a thing?" he demanded, straightening himself up. He knew for a fact that she was making a bluff on him… and he would never gonna fall for it.  
  
"I could feel your breath heaving quite beastly just above my knee." she smiled, infuriating him further. "Let me point out one thing for you, Malfoy… just because I'm blind doesn't necessarily mean I let pervs like you take advantage of me." Though she hated it, it felt kinda flattering to be given such a look.  
  
She just wished it came from someone else.  
  
Draco crossed his arms and gave her a stare. He had to admit that "peeking" at her was indeed something he wouldn't normally do (he was raised to be a gentleman), but the temptation was so intoxicating, he just couldn't control it anymore! "Fine. If that's what you think I did," he drawled, dithering whether he should save his last stick for later. "Although, I still think it's unfair of you to know a bit of myself when I hardly even know anything about you."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll ask Colin to make me a webpage so you can just surf for it."  
  
"That's not what I meant!" _And who the bugger is Colin?_  
  
"I know. Unfortunately though, there's nothing to tell. I'm just your ordinary disabled English citizen, just like everybody else in this institute."  
  
"I could hardly classify you as 'ordinary.' A little dippy is something I would describe about you, maybe." He hissed, finally deciding to light it after all. Seeing her tense up a bit, made him smirk. He took one long breath and planned for his next move.  
  
Ginny started counting from one to ten in her head, simply to calm herself up. _God, I could just kill this bloody bastard right about now!_ Sighing, she closed her eyes and opened them almost instantly. "Alright, you can ask me anything you want- but I'll only answer those deemed necessary."  
  
_Hole in one!_ Draco stretched his arms and placed his hands behind his head. "Let's start with the basics. What's your full name?"  
  
"Virginia Claire Weasley."  
  
"Age?"  
  
"18 years old."  
  
"How long have you been here?"  
  
"Thirteen years of my life."  
  
"That's quite a long time," he said, feeling more anxious than ever. He then stood up and started pacing. He used to do this when he was 'interrogating' someone. "I reckon you're an orphan, since this is more or less a shelter for people like you."  
  
Ginny merely nodded, snapping her fingers- a habit she developed whenever she felt a tad wound up. "Actually, I have a brother who's still alive." "Really? And where is this brother of yours?"  
  
"He's around. Next question." She said, flatly.  
  
Draco wanted to know more about this 'brother' of hers and why the bloody hell he hadn't come to retrieve her yet. _He must be dead poor… or too thick to think of getting her out of here in the first place!_ "Moving on, why are you here?"  
  
"Isn't it pretty obvious?" she taunted, waving her finger dully over her eyes.  
  
"That's not it, dopey! I'm asking you why you are _blind?_" he chided, going back to his seat. He kept noticing how she kept snapping her fingers… much to his annoyance.  
  
"Car accident."  
  
"Define car accident."  
  
"How does bugger off sound to you?" Ginny gritted, gripping her cane with utmost contempt. _One wrong move mate, and you're…_  
  
"Fair enough I suppose," Draco's mind was moving elsewhere as she started twirling her hair, clearly stating that she's about to burst in a mad frenzy. _Nice hair. Luscious breasts. Curvy legs…_ "Are you a virgin?"  
  
The question caught Ginny by surprise. "WHAT!?!" she exclaimed, furrowing her brow. _Did he just ask me that?_  
  
"Where do you like to get your oats? On the bed or does a nice comfy sofa would do? Perhaps a duvet along the common-"  
  
"Jesus." Ginny suddenly stood up and strode towards the bookshelves. _If I stay one more minute with this nutter…_  
  
"Oy! I'm not done yet…"  
  
"Oh we're so through with this whole exchange!" she jeered, dragging the shelves' built-in ladder. "Now if you'll excuse me… I HAVE WORK TO DO!"  
  
Draco chuckled and walked towards her. Seeing her pull the old, rusty thing towards the middle shelf was a delight worth indulging. _I wonder if banging her on the ladder would be a tad bit horny for my taste._ "You better watch those steps. Seems to me they're about to break off."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes, and climbed up, taking one step at a time. _Dear God, what I'm going to do to get rid of him!_ "The steps are perfectly fine. So why don't you do me a huge favor and-"  
  
Before she could finish her sentence, one of the steps cracked and left her feet hanging in mid-air. Sad to say, this made her lose her grip.  
  
"Watch out!" Draco called, catching her as she stumbled backward from the ladder. Although he was able to reach her, the impact of the fall made him lose his footing, thus sending them both to the floor.  
  
"Ouch!" he gritted, grabbing the back of his head. He could feel his hair getting a bit damp and sticky to the touch. _Shit! This is going to cost me alot of bloody stitches._  
  
"Oh God, are you all right?" Ginny asked. She was too shocked at what happened that she didn't notice that she was literally on top of him. She tried standing up but it looked as though they were both 'entangled' at the moment.  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine." Draco hissed. Looking up, he caught a glance of her face just inches away from his. Since her sunglasses fell off, he got to see her eyes for the first time. Expecting them to be dry and cloudy, what he got instead were a pair of warm, beautiful brown eyes. He even got a whiff of her hair, which gave a hint of lavender and jasmine. With their bodies so close together, he could feel himself tensing up… especially between his…  
  
"Good." Ginny replied, pushing herself up. Draco silently cursed at himself. _You're a huge idiot, you know that! You could have had her there but no! You're too slow to even respond to your natural urges!_ Sitting there beside him, she looked at him and started reaching for his head.  
  
Draco, in response, took her wrist. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I wanna see if you have bump on your head."  
  
"I said I'm fine," he exclaimed, denying the massive pain he was in. "Besides, what good would it do if you- HEY!"  
  
Ginny, getting completely impatient with him, yanked his hair and pulled his head downward. With her fingers caressing it, she started to feel the depth of his wound. "Oh my God! Your head's bleeding like mad! Are you feeling dizzy? Do you need an aspirin or something?"  
  
"No! What I need for you to do is just shut up!" Draco sneered. He considered insulting her, telling her that it was her fault he got himself into this mess in the first place…  
  
_God, her hands are so soft!_  
  
Draco began to wonder what was going on with him. Never in his life had he been so enamored by someone that he's willing to make a fool of himself. Not only was she trying to test the standards on his well being, she also managed to bend it to her favor.  
  
She is slowly becoming a threat to him… and she didn't even know it!  
  
Ginny released her grip and wiped the blood off her hands with her shirt. "Look, we need to put something on the wound to stop it from bleeding." She thought for awhile, then decided to do the one thing she'd never imagined she'd say to him- "Take off your shirt."  
  
His first reaction was shock, then it turned to something else… "Honey, as much as I want to shag you, I don't think I'm physically capa-"  
  
Ginny growled in utter disgust. "It's for your bloody thick skull, you fucking bastard!!!" One… two… three…  
  
Draco gaped at her angered state. "Have you gone mental? Do you have any idea how much this Armani shirt costs?"  
  
"What? You plan on bleeding yourself to death?"  
  
"I don't want to but there is no way I'm going to ruin this shirt!"  
  
Ginny then placed both her hands on her face and started swearing to herself. _It's your bloody fault why he's hurt… so you better do something_, her blasted conscience kept screaming at her. Desperately seeking solace from this predicament she's in, she heaved a sigh and did what seemed _necessary_ at that point. _I can't believe I'm going to do this…_  
  
"Fine." she said, pulling her blouse off her. Without even thinking, she balled it around her hand, and threw it at him. "Try this then." The shirt flew into his face since Draco didn't have time to catch it- he was still stunned by what she just did. He quickly removed her shirt from his face and gazed at her, arms crossed across her chest completely pissed beyond words. This made him… smile. Though he wished she were completely topless, her silky black bandeau was the next best thing… but those well-toned abs of hers- clearly made up for all the torment she caused him. Placing her shirt on his bloodied wound, he started fantasizing her under his spell, abiding every desire he could crave for…  
  
"We best head off to hospital wing to check that wound." Ginny uttered, sounding both calm and irritated. _He probably thinks I'm the biggest trollop in all of London! Damn it! Like I'm gonna shag him senseless!_  
  
"What?" he replied quizzically, not taking his eyes off her.  
  
_Oh my God- he just did!_ "Arsehole!" she muttered, quickly standing up. Suddenly, she winced in pain as she tried to move her right foot. The pain was so unbearable, she had to sit down again. Clutching it, she forced herself not to cry. _Don't you dare let him see you like this…_  
  
Draco, seeing her gripping her sore foot, went up to her. "Here, let me have a look." Without waiting for her response, he crouched right in front of her, and gently massaged it. "Hey! That tickles." Ginny giggled, suppressing her laugh.  
  
"Hold still. I'm trying to keep it from swelling."  
  
Ginny bit her lip as his hands slowly stroked her foot. Though his touch was a bit firm, it had affected her in such a way that it felt as if he had caressed her for a long time. She shivered a little, giving her a sense of fear and desire she vowed never to experience again… she quickly withdrew her foot from his hold.  
  
"What's up?" Draco asked, surprised by her reaction. Although his only intention was to soothe her pain, the subtlety of his touch towards her foot excited him in a way he himself hadn't felt in a very long time.  
  
"The pain's gone." Ginny answered almost instantaneously, willing herself to stand up once more. Feeling the numbness of her foot, she slowly paced herself forward. "Wait… where are my glasses?"  
  
Draco tried to warn her but it was too late… a loud crack echoed across the room as she accidentally stepped on the now broken sunglasses. The whole scene made him smirk and decided to stand up as well and pick up her cane beside him.  
  
"Blast it! That was my favorite pair!" Ginny cried, groping at it as she crouched on the floor. "I'm so totally browned off with everything that's happened!" Aghast, she threw the shattered pieces towards the fireplace, which astonishingly landed on the logs inside it.  
  
Draco approached her and handed her cane. "If you ask me, I say you do away with those pesky glasses of yours."  
  
"And why would you say that?" Ginny probed, reluctantly thanking him for her cane. "Because I couldn't afford those really expensive ones that I'm sure you fancy a lot."  
  
He smirked at her reply and edged his way towards her and whispered "No, because your eyes are too beautiful to be hidden in such wretched things. You should leave them as they are." He flounced his way to the couch and picked up his trench coat. "You should wear this…. unless you want men drooling all over you, that is."  
  
Ginny took the coat he offered and murmured her thanks. She was completely caught off guard by what he said to her. _Did he just gave me a compliment?_ She suddenly felt like a bit apprehensive… threatened. She needed a hit, but she didn't want him to catch her take a snort at it. She could almost feel her shakes crawling all over her skin. God, not again!?! Please not again…  
  
"You all right?" Draco placed his hand on her arms, which she wrapped around her chest. He could feel herself stiffen as if his fingers burned through her skin. "Jesus, you're shaking like a mad leaf!"  
  
"I'm fine." Ginny hissed, releasing herself from his hold and walking towards the door. Draco stared at her retreating form, puzzled.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
They reached the hospital wing in silence, both making no attempt to speak. Draco, holding the blouse onto his wound, started to feel lightheaded from too much blood loss. He leaned over the wall and heaved silently. _You're not going to faint, you idiot!_  
  
"Is everything okay?" Ginny asked, not hearing his footsteps from behind her. Her shakes were gone and she was finally able to calm herself. She then turned back, and tapped her way till she reached his foot. When he didn't respond to her answer, she flustered. "Draco?"  
  
"I just got a bit woozy, that's all," he murmured, feeling totally disgusted at his state. He moved passed her but it seemed his body wouldn't agree with him - he stumbled forward.  
  
Sensing that he was about to faint, Ginny hooked her arm over his and placed it on her shoulders. "Okay, we really need to get you settled in." Carrying him, she guided their way towards a huge white room filled with bed bunks and linen curtains on the windows. As like any hospital, the whole place was packed with doctors, nurses, volunteers… and your usual noisy patients waiting anxiously to be taken care of. "Will somebody please help us?!"  
  
Heeding to her call, a young dark man with dread locks and wearing a white doctor's smock approached them. "Ginny, what the bloody hell happened to him?!" He inspected, seeing all the blood coming out of his soaked shirt. When he was about to check his wound, Draco mumbled "I can very well stand up on his own, thank you very much!"  
  
"He hit his head dead hard against the library floor," she said, paying no attention to the fact that his weight added up to the pain on her sore foot. "Lee, believe me it was purely an accident."  
  
"And it's all your blasted fault!" Draco leered, standing up. He felt totally embarrassed and angry at his 'weakness'. He took a step back and sat on the nearest bench by the door.  
  
"I said I'm sorry!" Ginny folded her cane and groped her way towards Draco's side. "Lee, what will it be?"  
  
Lee Jordan, one of the chief medical assistants, went up to Draco and scanned his wound. He then placed his hands over it, making his patient wince in pain. "Judging from the size of his concussion, I'd say four or five stitches will have to do."  
  
"Five stitches?!" Draco grumbled. The one thing that irritated him the most was a needle piercing through his skin. "Damn, I hate needles!"  
  
Ginny squirmed in her seat, feeling guilty all of the sudden. She obviously loathed the guy- but not to that extent. "I'm really sorry. I never meant for this to hap-"  
  
"Yeah right." Draco stood up and was instructed by Lee to head to the nearest examination room. Seeing him depart, Lee sat next to Ginny and stared at her. "Okay, tell me what really happened?"  
  
"Lee, I told you… it was an accident." Ginny replied, unconsciously twisting her two hands nervously. "I was trying to pick up one of the books on top of the shelf, when one of the steps of the ladder suddenly broke off. I slipped, and thankful enough, he was there to catch me." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I really am sorry for him."  
  
"Cut the act, Gin! Colin already told me how much you hate that arse!"  
  
Ginny turned to him incredulously. _I'm gonna kill you, Creevey!_ She sighed and sulked heavily. "Okay, so I'm not _totally_ sorry for what happened to him. But can you blame me?! That man is a walking embodiment of the word _git_ and _prat_, all in one nifty package!" She shook her head due to her sudden outburst. "I can't believe I just said that. Is he gonna be okay?"  
  
Lee chuckled at how utterly puerile she could be. "Nothing this handsome medic can't do. Although I have to admit… that blood-soaked blouse of yours will be of no use to you anymore."  
  
Ginny sighed. "That bad, huh?" She closed her eyes briefly, then frowned. "How did you know it was my blouse?"  
  
Lee tapped her shoulder and stood. "Well, I presumed he wouldn't dare ruin his silk shirt over some wound of his." He paced himself towards the operating room. "Or maybe he just fancied the pants off you."  
  
"Lee…"  
  
"Say, have you been working out lately…"  
  
"Lee!"  
  
"… because those abs of yours are truly to die for-"  
  
"Jesus, Lee!" Ginny shrieked, wrapping her coat closely.  
  
"And one more thing… you should wear skirts more often. Makes us fiery blokes bite your arm off for a change!"  
  
"I swear to God, I'd kill you if you don't shut your-"  
  
Lee never got to hear the end of her sentence- he was laughing too hard as he entered the examination room, leaving her completed pissed off.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
"What's taking him so long?" Draco pondered impatiently, legs dangling over the edge of his bed. The examination room was big; its floors tiled in white, making the stonewalls of the castle look primitive in nature. One corner of the room was filled with medical equipment and supplies while the other side had posters of animals and flowers. Draco felt like he was in a children's nursery all of the sudden. One of the nurses handed him some painkillers to numb the pain as the young medic from outside came in, laughing like a mad man. _This place is a huge loony bin!_  
  
"I tell you, that Ginny is one hell of a firecracker!" he chuckled, as he examined Draco's medical chart handed to him by the nurse. "How is he?"  
  
"Pretty stable I should say. Except for that huge gash on his head, he's as strong as a horse."  
  
"I heard that!" Draco barked, annoyed at the fact that they're discussing him as if he wasn't in the room. He hated being ignored.  
  
"And a nasty temper to boot," Lee said, eyeing him. He then told the nurse to leave and check on his other patients. "This might take a while."  
  
"Oy! I think you guys should check on Wea- Virginia," Draco called out to the retreating nurse. "I reckon she sprained her right ankle."  
  
_I guess that's why she's been limping her way to the door._ "Have Penelope check up on her," he instructed. The nurse left urgently, leaving a dead silence all over the room. Lee approached his patient and looked over his chart. "Need to verify some information here. Your name?"  
  
"Draco Edward Malfoy"  
  
"Age?"  
  
"19"  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
"What is this? An interrogation?" Draco leered, the drugs slowly making him completely nauseous. He rubbed his temples, completely wound up over the whole thing.  
  
"No. Just wanted to make sure you still have your memory intact," Lee said flatly, writing the words _complete arsehole!_ over his analysis on the patient. "A major head trauma like yours could cause temporary memory loss."  
  
"Well, my memory's fine," Draco frowned, eyeing the medic which utmost caution. "Are you really a doctor? Seems to me you're about my age."  
  
"Let's just say I'm a modern-day Doogie Howser," he smiled. He moved towards a metal table filled with medical equipment and took out a pair of latex gloves, a sterilized needle and some sutures of non-absorbable Prolene. "Went to univ at age 15; graduated in 3 years tops… and now on my third year of med school. You could check out my CV for further clarifications."  
  
"Look, I just don't want some tard know-it-all sewing cross stitches on my head," Draco quipped, as Lee started disinfecting his wound. "It's bad enough I've been mauled over by some she-wolf."  
  
"A beautiful she-wolf indeed!" Lee corrected, inserting the needle along the wound edge. Draco grimace in pain, yet didn't dare show it. "Hey, you ain't the first lad that got whacked in the head. I heard she beat the crap out off Colin once when he tried to steal one of her knickers for some bloke I know. I reckon he owed the guy some money."  
  
_God! Who the hell is that blasted idiot!_ "Is this Colin guy her boyfriend?" Draco asked. He wasn't interested if he was… but he was kinda curious as to what type of man she fancied.  
  
"Nah! The guy's been her best mate for ages. They're known around here for their silly antics and occasional filching in the Mess Hall," Lee began adding the final touches to the stitch. "Although some of the people here told me that they've been 'disappearing' a lot this past couple of months, if you know what I mean."  
  
Draco thought for awhile about what he just said. It was quite obvious that he was referring to the hidden passageways but then he didn't suspect that Ginny had someone else sharing her 'secret'. "He's probably rogering her like hell." he griped, feeling outraged at the thought of her making out with someone else. _I guess she's not a virgin after all._  
  
"I doubt it," Putting the last knot on his stitch, Lee then cut off the excess suture and told Draco that he's done for the day.  
  
Draco stared at him, confused. "What?"  
  
Lee handed him a doctor's receipt instructing him to go get some prescription drugs by the chemist down the street from the institute. "Tell them Doc Jords insists that they give you a discount… not that you need it, that is."  
  
Draco took the piece of paper, jumped off the bed and headed for the door. "I'll keep that in mind."   
  
"Hey Malfoy, one last thought," Lee reminded. Draco stepped back in. "Don't go hurting that girl. You don't know shit of what she's been through."  
  
Draco furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Just don't let the kid get to you, okay? She really is a nice girl." he replied, removing his gloves and throwing it to the tin.  
  
Draco smirked at him and opened the door. "I'll keep that in mind."  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
"All done," Penelope Clearwater assured Ginny, placing an ankle brace on her right foot. "You'll be able to walk without it in a day or two."  
  
"Thanks," Ginny tried twisting it to see if it still hurt. After feeling only a hint of discomfort, she leaned back toward the wall behind her and closed her eyes. "This has been a very long day."  
  
"I could tell," She stood up and whispered to her ear. Her long black curls brushed the sides of Ginny's face. "By the way, that guy you brought in… the blonde one. Just to let you know, I think he's so devilishly handsome." Before Ginny could respond, she left and headed off, a wicked smile splattered all over her face.  
  
"Damn, I hate my life." she muttered, placing her hands over her face. She had to admit that none of this would have happened if she didn't fall off that bloody ladder… but then again, he was the insufferable prat who just wouldn't leave her alone! Sensing that nobody was looking at her, she mimed a cough to cover a couple of additional hits. "What did I do to deserve this?" She was about to take another one when she heard someone call out her name.  
  
"Ginny, what are you do- oh my God! What the hell happened to your foot?" His voice filled with concern as Ginny felt his hand rest on her ankle brace.  
  
"Neville? Is that you?" she asked quizzically, stuffing her powder to her coat pocket. _I thought he was assigned to Snape's office..._  
  
"Yeah. Damn it, can you walk? Wait, does this mean we have to cancel our-"  
  
Ginny smiled. "Of course not. I'll be up and ready by the time you pick me up by the foyer."  
  
Neville sighed, gazed at her one last time and stood up. "I'm glad. I guess I should be lea-"  
  
"Why hullo, Longbottom." Draco sneered. "How nice to see you again."  
  
Neville glared at him, but turned his attention back to Ginny… until it came to him… "You did this to her, didn't you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Neville, it's not what you th-" Ginny said, but he ignored her completely. Neville moved in within arm's length from Draco. Despite the fact that the man was a few inches taller than him and was physically more fit, he wasn't planning on backing out of this one.  
  
"You're the one who broke her foot!" Neville retorted. All the anger that he summed up from the years of torment Malfoy caused him, started erupting through his mind.  
  
"I don't have time for this." Draco smirked, pushing him aside. He wasn't in the mood to pick a fight with a guy deemed too 'unworthy' of his time.  
  
"Is that what you do on your spare time now huh? Assaulting women who can't fight back." Neville was on a roll and this was the chance he'd been waiting for all his life. "Why, you're far pathetic than I thought."  
  
Draco turned and took a menacing step forward. He stopped advancing suddenly when Lee moved in front of him and backed him toward the door.  
  
"Let it slide Malfoy," he said warningly. Draco was now sizing him up. "This is a hospital, not a playground."  
  
"Get out of my way," Draco hissed, clenching and unclenching his hands. "This is between me and him." He then shoved Lee across the wall and headed straight for Neville.  
  
"I'm not scared of you. Not anymore." Neville leered, making a fierce stance of his own. Even though he felt a pang of fear in his insides, he wasn't going to let this man take him down. _This ain't high school no more._  
  
"You should because I'm gonna wipe that sorry face of yours to the ground." Without thinking, he swung his arm up and hit him hard against the face, making him stagger backwards. Gaining back his balance, Neville lunged forward and pushed him to the floor.  
  
"STOP IT!" Ginny yelled. She was now standing up and trying to figure out where the two were, but the whole place was already in chaos. She could hear one of the medical volunteers grabbing Neville by the waist while Lee took on Draco. "Both of you… just let it GO!"  
  
Draco struggled to free himself from Lee's hold. "You've got some nerve going up against me, Longbottom!"  
  
"Yeah, well I'm not gonna let you go near her ever again, you fucking bastard!" Neville shouted, as he was shoved behind two other guys working at the hospital.  
  
"I didn't do anything to her! She fell off the fucking ladder, you dumb arse!" Draco growled, wanting nothing more than to disfigure his horrid face. "If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be in this stupid mess in the first place!"  
  
"Why you-"  
  
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!"  
  
Silence.  
  
Ginny knew that snarl could only come from one person. She slowly began to unfold her cane.  
  
A tall man with black shoulder-length hair entered the chamber eyeing everybody with disgust. "Do I have to repeat myself?" he snarled. His eyes roamed the area until he finally saw the person deemed 'responsible'. "You…" He approached Ginny and loomed over her. "Another one of your antics, Miss Weasley?"  
  
She smirked, gripping her cane fiercely. "Jeez Snape, I didn't know that two men fighting over for my attention would make you so jealous," She moved closer to him and murmured. "But don't worry, you know very well that you're the only man in my life."  
  
Everybody stood there stunned as Snape grabbed Ginny's arms and pinned her to the wall. "Your sense of humour is quite appalling, Miss Weasley," Snape jeered, his long nails digging deeper into her coat. Neville tried to reason with him but he was ordered to shut his mouth. He whimpered. Snape then faced her again. "As I was saying, perhaps throwing you in the dungeons would be a suitable _punishment_, don't you think."  
  
Ginny grimaced in pain and fear, Snape clearly wasn't planning on letting her go. "Get your filthy claws off me!" She suddenly poked her cane on his foot, making him lose his grasp. Snape cursed at her and was about to slap her in the face when a hand seized him from behind. He turned his attention at the person who interrupted him, still holding his hand.  
  
"With all due respect Mr. Snape, if you want to put the blame on somebody, you might as well look this way," Draco said, releasing his hold. "I was the one who started the fight, not her."  
  
Snape glared at the young man before him. "Surely, Mr. Malfoy, a man of your stature would never stoop so slow as to _rescue_ a troublemaker like her."  
  
Draco merely smiled. "Since when did telling the truth become such a lie?"  
  
"What's going on here, Severus?"  
  
Snape glanced as a man wearing a medical coat approached him. He had with him some medical charts and was obviously unaware of the events that just took place. He grunted and gave Draco one last look. "Don't mess with me, boy. You don't know who you're up against." He then stormed out of the room and shouted at Neville to have an aspirin brought to his office immediately.  
  
Neville panicked and went straight to the medical cabinet. Upon getting the aspirin, he quickly left and headed towards Snape's office.  
  
Seeing that the vice director was already gone, everybody relaxed and began to go about with their work. Lee Jordan hurriedly walked up to the doctor who just arrived. "Dr. Riddle, I can explain everything-"  
  
"You don't have to, Lee," he interrupted, handing the medical charts to him. "Have them brought to my office." Lee nodded sheepishly and left.  
  
Draco, feeling completely exhausted, raked his hair and decided to get a drink by the water cooler near the nurse's station. Taking one long gulp from his cup, he slowly felt its coolness easing away his tension. Dumping it in the tin, he noticed that the doctor was in deep conversation with Ginny. He didn't want to pry but he could tell that Ginny was a bit agitated, nodding to everything he was saying to her. When he placed his hands over her arms, she began to shudder- just like what she did earlier in the library. He immediately went toward them.  
  
The doctor glanced at him when he reached them. He smiled and offered his hand. "You must be Virginia's new reader. I've heard so many things about you."  
  
Draco took it hesitantly. "I've made quite a buzz lately," He gave Ginny a quick look; she seemed relieved. _That's odd…_ "Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Dr. Thomas Riddle. I would like to apologize for Vice Director Snape's actions. He's been in a lot of stress lately."  
  
Ginny smirked. "That's an understatement." Both men paid no attention to her.  
  
"It's no problem really. Just hated the way he handled this young lady here," he quipped, giving Ginny a look-see. "If I remember correctly, you did a medical journal on the effects of Satanic Ritual Abuse to MPD patients."  
  
Riddle beamed, letting go of Draco's handshake. Not many individuals his age found his work quite fascinating; it intrigued him nonetheless. "Why yes, I do believe I've published my work on it some years back. How were you able to get a copy of it?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "I used it as research material for a paper I once did." He wanted to talk more but his wound started to throb again. He placed his hand over it "Damn."  
  
"I think you should call it a day," Riddle turned to Ginny, who was already trying to grab Draco's arm. "It be best if you escort him to his car. Can you still drive home?"  
  
Draco nodded. Seeing that they were on their way, Dr. Riddle gave Ginny his final instructions before he headed off to the next direction. He then glanced at her; her hands were beginning to tremble underneath his skin. "He's gone now."  
  
Ginny sighed and left for the door, leaving Draco to catch up with her. Despite the ankle brace on her, she was still able to walk briskly. The tapping of her cane echoed throughout the corridors, making the throbbing of his head seemed worst. "Would you mind not tapping at all? Can't you see I'm dying from all your racket?!"  
  
Tap. Tap. Tap.  
  
"Weasley, please! Just put the fucking cane-"  
  
Ginny faced him, hot tears rolling down her cheeks "Why can't you just SHUT THE HELL UP?!" Wiping her tears, she continued walking, the noise of her cane bellowing once more. She too was tired and hurt… and was very much afraid.  
  
"Why should I?" he shouted. After everything he did to ensure her _safety_, he still ended up being the villain in the whole fiasco. "You know, I risked my arse trying to rescue you-"  
  
She stopped walking. "Rescue?" She wanted to laugh at what he just said. She couldn't. "Are you saying that I should _thank_ you for 'rescuing' me from Snape? Wait, let me guess, this is the part wherein the damsel in distress suddenly gives her knight in shining armour a big kiss on the lips and they lived happily ever after, right?"  
  
Draco went towards her, fumed. He grabbed her by the arms, and found himself shaking her like a rag doll. "I am sick and tired of your fucking crap, you know that?"  
  
"Let me go." her voice croaked, tears building up in her eyes. _Oh my God, he sounded just like him!_  
  
"Maybe he was right after all. Maybe you deserved to be slapped in the face…"  
  
"I said let me go!"  
  
"Because you're nothing more than a worthless piece of…"  
  
"LET ME GO!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Draco, blinded by rage, struck her in the face. She fell to the floor, blood flowing all over her mouth.  
  
After that, everything stood still. Even her sobs were nothing more than mere whispers. Not a single sound came between then. It was absolutely quiet. A deafening kind.  
  
Draco, his hand trembling, stared at her fallen form. That was all he could do. He just stared at her. _Oh no… what have I done?_  
  
Ginny couldn't move. She didn't want to. Her tongue felt the warm blood cruise out of her mouth; It scared her. She was being taken to that place again. She could almost hear it. His voice. _Come here, baby. Daddy's gonna make it all go away…_  
  
Draco panicked. She just lay there, not moving. Like a corpse. He quickly kneeled to her side. "Jesus, Ginny I'm-" he said, his fingers clutching her arm.  
  
"NO!" Ginny screamed, slowly sitting up and backing herself against the wall. Her whole body was shaking tremendously. She wrapped her arms around her, and began rocking back and forth. _I mustn't run away… I mustn't run away…_  
  
Draco stared at her swollen face as tears continued to come. She looked terrified. Lost. He wanted to wipe them away, to tell her that he was sorry and that he never met to hurt her. He took a chance and tried reaching for her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"  
  
Ginny shielded her hands over her face, expecting another blow. "Please don't hurt me," she sobbed, sounding almost child-like. She wasn't hearing Draco's voice- not anymore. He was near; she could feel him just around the corner, watching her. Telling her that she'd been a bad girl. That she need to be _punished. You've been a very VERY bad girl…_ "I promise not to do it again. I promise…" she babbled on and on. But he wouldn't stop. Then she heard it; the sound of his belt being snapped three times.  
  
_One…  
  
Two…  
  
Three…_  
  
"Damn it, Weasley!" Draco shouted, gently shaking her again. "Snap out of it!" But she didn't stop. She still murmured like a little kid, begging for forgiveness over something she did. He didn't know what to do anymore. He was scared. He wanted to run away.  
  
And that was exactly what he did. He let her go and just ran away, her quiet sobs resonating all over the place like a chant that wouldn't end.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
"You sure you know where we're going?" Ron Weasley asked, staring at the corridors back and forth. It wasn't like it was his first time in Hogwarts, but the place was so huge, it would take a lifetime trying to memorize every single direction there was. "Of course I do. I work here, remember?" Hermione prompted, frowning at him. "The library is just around this corner…"  
  
"Told you not to doubt her." Harry Potter kidded, giving Ron a slight push on the shoulders as Hermione walked past them. Unlike his tall redheaded friend, his hair was dark and unruly, and a few inches shorter than him. They met a couple of years ago at a pizza place Ron was working at near the community college he went to. Since then, they've been the best of friends.  
  
Plus the fact that he actually fancied his sister a lot.  
  
"Fine," Ron said, scratching his head at his remark. "I guess I'm a bit excited to see her, that's all. It's been weeks since I last visited."  
  
"Trouble with work?"  
  
Ron grunted. "That blasted Amos won't give me a day-off! Said he needed me on the job since all that rest of his crew are a bunch of loonies!" He began clenching and unclenching his fist- a habit he developed whenever he felt angry or anxious. "If I didn't need the money that much-"  
  
"You would have left and found another job," Harry interrupted, clearly understanding his friend's predicament. He wasn't rich either but at least he had someone supporting him. Ron never finished school and had to start working the minute he came back to London. He wanted to help but he insisted that he wanted to make it work on his own. "You don't have to tell me that. So, how's the campaign going?"  
  
Ron stuffed his hands onto his pockets and lowered his head. "Couldn't get any worse. They said that I was incompetent and that she deserves to stay here till I'm able enough to support her both financially and emotionally," He shook his head in disbelief. "For ten years, I didn't get to see her. I wasn't even allowed to write to her. And now that I finally have a job and a place to stay, they still fucking think that I'm worthless! Damn it, she's my sister! I'm the only family she has left! They can't just take her away from me again. Not this time."  
  
Harry placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "It'll work out for the best, you'll see," He then noticed a small package Ron was carrying under his arm. "Is that a present for her?"  
  
Ron scratched his head again, embarrassed. "Hermione told me she fancies eating sweets. I'd thought I'd surprise with a box of chocolates," He took it out and stared at it. "I guess she'll always be my little girl."  
  
"You're right about that," He was able to ask him something when Hermione yelled at them to hurry up. They chuckled as they quickened their pace. "I can't believe you're going out with her."  
  
"What can I say?" Ron winked. "A man like me deserves someone like her, don't you think?"  
  
"Hardly." Harry laughed, punching Ron on the arm. They were still kidding around when they heard someone crying from across another corridor. Judging from the sound of her sobs, both of them could tell that it was a little girl. "Maybe somebody got hurt?"  
  
"Let's go find out," Ron said, already heading towards it, with Harry following close by. He couldn't explain it, but he felt something was wrong with this picture. Like a bad dream that he couldn't shake off. But all his fears suddenly exploded when he caught a glimpse of the girl's hair. It was red and fiery.  
  
Just like his.  
  
"Ginny!" he called out, running as quickly as he could toward her. She was still sitting on the floor, hugging her knees up to her chest. Her face was buried behind her long hair, all wet and stringy. He immediately kneeled before her. "Oh my God. Gin, are you alright?"  
  
Ginny looked up at the sound of his voice. A shaft of panic dug into her belly, as she felt him close beside her. She didn't want him to see her like this. "Ron?" she whimpered.  
  
"I'm right here." Ron hugged, brushing his lips over her forehead. When he wiped her tears away, he noticed the bruise on her mouth. Ginny shook her head but Ron grabbed her chin and gaze at it. "Who did this to you?" he barked.  
  
Ginny jumped. "I- I don't…" She placed her hands over her head and started babbling again. _God, my head hurts! Please make it go away…_  
  
"Ginny, did somebody tried to attack you?" he asked, still looking at her bruise. He also noticed that she wasn't wearing any shirt under her trench coat. Pictures of an assailant hurting her fogged his mind. "Ginny, please-"  
  
"What's going on here?" Harry asked, catching his breath. Seeing Ginny's state, he quickly turned his attention to Ron. "What happened to her?"  
  
"That's what I like to know," Ron said grimly. He gently rubbed his hands over Ginny's shoulders to calm her down. "Look, you can tell me who is it, Gin? There's nothing to be afraid of."  
  
"It's just… I don't remember anything right now," she cried, fighting back her tears. Tired and distraught, she hugged her brother tightly, feeling safe under his embrace. "I'm so sorry."  
  
Ron held her tight, not letting her go. "It's all right, sweetie. Everything's gonna be fine, trust me," He knew for a fact that moments like these were enough of a reason for him to take her home. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
Hermione arrived on the scene minutes after. "What happened-" she asked, but was hushed by Harry to keep quiet. He stood up and pulled her aside. "You have to go to hospital wing and get a doctor here immediately."  
  
Hermione gaped at him, glancing at the two siblings. "Did something bad happen to her?"  
  
"We're not sure. She doesn't remember anything," Harry replied. "All I know is that she has a huge bruise on her face and her foot's on an ankle brace."  
  
"It's because of the fall she had at the library," She took Harry's arm frantically, her eyes filled with worry. "You think she's been-"  
  
"Calm down, Herm," Harry said, placing his hands over her shoulders. "We need you to go get some help, all right?"  
  
Hermione sighed, giving him a faint smile. She left and went toward the hospital wing. Harry then approached Ron. "Help is on the way. I told Hermione to get a doctor right over."  
  
"No!" Ginny shrieked, moving away from Ron's hold. "There's no need for a doctor. I'm fine now."  
  
Ron and Harry exchanged worried glances. Harry came over and sat by her side. "Gin, he's just gonna look at-"  
  
"I said I'm fine!" she insisted, giving Harry a mean glare. She turned to Ron and pleaded. "Please Ron, I just need to go to my room and get some sleep."  
  
Ron furrowed his brow, peering through her brown eyes with caution. "You sure?"  
  
"I'm sure," she assured him, giving his arm a nice squeeze. "Nothing a nice nap couldn't cure."  
  
_Damn, she's so stubborn!_ Ron groaned, rubbing his temples. "Okay. I'll take you to your room BUT I still want a doctor see you just in case something's wrong."  
  
Ginny smiled and hugged him again. "I miss you," she whispered onto his ear.  
  
"Me too." Ron picked her up in his arms and carried her. Just as they were about to leave, Hermione returned with Dr. Riddle. The doctor promptly instructed that she be brought to her room so he can examine her there. With Hermione leading the way, Harry, handed to Ron the package he brought. "You forgot to give her these."  
  
Ron smirked and snatched it from him. When Ginny asked what it was, he blushed. "It's just a little present for you. Hermione told me you like to eat chocolates a lot."  
  
Ginny chuckled, kissing her brother on the cheeks. "Ta."  
  
By now, Ron's ears were already beet red. "You're welcome," He glared at Harry, who couldn't help but chortle at his expense. "How come you didn't go with Hermione?"  
  
"And miss this great Weasley moment? Never." Harry joked, as they all walked to the main hallway, relieved that the day had finally come to a close.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
10:30 pm. That's what my alarm clock says.  
  
Yet I still lay awake in my bed, wondering. Dreaming. It's hard not to think of her as just a mere fantasy when everything you've seen is real. Her long, soft hair; her sweet scent; those beautiful brown eyes; her pretty face. A goddess. That's what she was. And she's mine…  
  
My baby. My beautiful baby.  
  
But today was different- she was different. I could see it in her eyes how sad she was. How scared and fractured her heart had become. It was like somebody stabbed her and the wound pierced through my body. No matter how much she smiled, it was still laced with pain and despair. As if she was trying to hide something from me. But then I do know one thing…  
  
She was always a terrible liar.  
  
I stood up, walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of beer. On my way back, I picked up a picture of her sitting on top of my desk. It was a beautiful picture. She had her hair down this time, the wind caressing it. Her skin was wrapped in a nice white dress, just like those nymphs dancing along the forest. But the one thing that captivated me was her smile. It was a nice smile.  
  
A real smile.  
  
"Why would you lie to me, Virginia?"  
  
I traced my fingers over her delicate mouth. I used to place it there to keep her quiet whenever she couldn't stop talking on and on about her little adventures.  
  
Oh how I love her dearly. I would always try to make her laugh and smile whenever I got the chance. That became my job.  
  
My life.  
  
And now she's turning away from me. She wouldn't let me in anymore. Why would she do that, I thought. Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt her?  
  
But why would I hurt her, when I've dedicated my life to give her everything her heart desires. Why can't she feel it?  
  
Why can't she be mine forever?  
  
I took the picture with me to my bed and placed on the pillow by my side. I wanted her to be near me at all times. It's how it was meant to be. I was about to go to sleep when I began to wonder how things would be if...  
  
"So how is she?"  
  
"What?" I grumbled, rubbing the sleep off my eyes.  
  
"You know what the fuck I'm talking about. How IS she?"  
  
"Relax, man! Jeez, from the tone of your voice it seems you love her more than I do," I smirked, taking a swig at what's left of my beer. "Someone attacked her. And left her alone in the corridors."  
  
"You useless son of a bitch, how could you let this happen! Where were you when it happened? And don't you drink your fuckin' beer when I'm talking to you boy."  
  
"Ah, give me a break! I wasn't there, all right? Jesus! If I were there I would have protected her."  
  
"That's what's you're supposed to do, Motherfucker! You were supposed to fucking protect her at all cost!"  
  
I lay down in bed once more and glanced at her picture. It was still smiling at me. "I'm not her guardian angel. Not anymore."  
  
"You stupid idiot! What's gotten into you! I told you to take good care of her. But no, you fucking HAD to get a life and you fucking HAD to forget her…"  
  
"I would never do that to her!" I exclaimed, peering through the mirror right in front of me. I was surprised to see my face in it. I was a mess. "She's mine you hear me!"  
  
"Well then, you should keep what's yours to yourself. We wouldn't want some fuckin' bastard taking her away from you."  
  
"What do you want me to do, huh? Kill the piece of shit that did this to her? Is that it?" I bellowed, my reflection glaring back at me.  
  
Silence.  
  
I stood up, went towards the bath and washed my face. I was slowly starting to feel tired and weary over this whole exchange.  
  
"Why not? You've fuckin' killed people before… Don't tell me you've gotten soft now."  
  
"That was different-"  
  
"No it wasn't. They deserved to die, just like that stupid motherfucker who tried to smash her pretty face."  
  
My knuckles turned white at the mere mention of it. Her pretty face destroyed. Like a porcelain doll shoved to the floor, its face shattered into tiny pieces. "I won't let that happen-"  
  
"Then what the fuck are you waiting for? Go out there and find the fucking bastard…"  
  
"Shut up! I'm trying to think," I began pacing the room in circles. The place was dark but the lights from the outside floated right before me, making ghostly dances. Such enchanting dances. I wonder if she dances a lot in the dark? "It has to be planned. There's no need for me to be reckless. But first…" I walked towards my cupboard and picked out an old baseball bat. I stared for it for awhile, enjoying the feel of the metal. "… I need to practice my swing."  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
"Damn it!" Neville griped, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk. It was already passed 10, but his boss at the restaurant said he should stay longer tonight. He didn't mind the work- the money was quite tempting, especially with his grandmother getting too old to help out with the expenses. But the events that occurred that day still haunted him.  
  
"You are such a loser, Longbottom!" he mumbled, pounding his forehead with his fist. He knew he was no match for Malfoy yet he insisted on being the hero for a change. Snape wasn't too happy about the whole thing either. He kept shouting at him for making quite a scene, thus almost losing his job at the Institute.  
  
All because he wanted to impress her.  
  
"Not that she'd noticed it," he said, glumly. When he visited her in her room before he left, Hermione told her that she was asleep and couldn't be disturbed. "I wonder if she still wants to go out with me?" He walked quickly towards a dark alley as heavy rain began to pour. It was a shortcut he used to take as a kid.  
  
It was also the perfect getaway from the thugs that liked to beat him a lot.  
  
Neville chuckled. He could still remember the sound of those boys cursing him as they started throwing rocks at him. Even then, he was always a good runner. That's what he does for a living- he runs away from everybody. Like some fucking coward.  
  
_Maybe Ginny's right… I'm nothing more that just Snape's lap dog!_ Neville was about to kick a can of Campbells out of his way when he heard footsteps following him. He turned around. He was alone. All he could see was a huge dumpster blocking his view from the street. He nearly jumped in fright as a cat leaped across his face, scratching hysterically. He took it by the tail and threw it to the ground. It screeched viciously at him, then ran away.  
  
"Stupid cat," Neville said, touching the scratches it left on his cheeks. He could tell that his face was bleeding. "God, this is gonna hurt."  
  
"Indeed." A voice from behind hissed.  
  
Neville never got to see who is was. All he could remember was the hard blow that knocked him from behind. And the blood-filled water that soaked his face. He glanced up at his assailant but he couldn't see its face. Only its shadow towering over him, raising a baseball bat over its head. He closed his eyes and waited. He was going to die that night.  
  
He only wished he could have said goodbye to her.  
  


***~*~***

  
  
  
I watched as the young man die in front of me. I peered through at his disfigured face, wondering if I had met him before. But then I couldn't tell from all the blood and rain that was flowing over him. He was such a pitiful sight.  
  
But he was well worth the kill.  
  
"I guess you didn't lose it after all…. That's one dead motherfucker! Man, you seem to out do yourself every time. Them fucking cops would think it was a fucking robbery. Hey, give me his watch! I think it would look good on me."  
  
I smiled. The whole experience turned into a guilty pleasure I felt a long time ago. Suddenly, their faces were smeared into his face. Anger swept through me; I pounded his face once more, enjoying myself with every wrath I pulled out of my body.  
  
"You know what? They did deserve to die." I heaved, completely impressed with my work.  
  
"You seem to be fucking happy about it. Now that's the bad ass you that I know."  
  
It took quite some time before my body could relax from it all. My clothes were now drenched in blood; its smell reeked all over my skin, the wonderful perfume from the dead.  
  
I kinda liked it.  
  
"Oh, enough about this pathetic arsehole! So tell me, how does it feel?"  
  
I gripped my bat tightly, deciding whether I should throw it away or keep it locked up in my cupboard- in case I need it again.  
  
"Just like old times."  
  



	3. Chapter Three

**DISCLAIMER:** All of the characters and places here are owned and copyrighted by JK Rowling.  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
  
First off, this was actually done around December 2002… unfortunately, I was too busy with my life that I haven't had time to do the HTML for this one… My bad! ::blushes:: Anyhow, I want to thank those who have read and reviewed this fic… thanks so much! You have no idea how happy you guys have made me!  
  
I also wanna give some shout-outs to my wonderful beta-readers, **Pat** (You're a great guy, "Clark"! Thanks so much for even having the time to read this stuff!), **Animagus_Steph** (You're an angel! Your patience on my lack of grammar skills is something I will forever cherish! I so love you for it!), **Clairvoyant_Snake** (Your enthusiasm inspires me! I miss yah, sweetie!), and **Fred** (For being such a great friend! I miss our chat sessions so much!) I'm forever in your debt! ::glomps at everybody::  
  
------  
**Chapter Three**  
  
"There's got to be an easier way than this," Colin complained, his hands scorching from the roughness of the rope. Not losing his grip, he slowly climbed down and settled himself to the wheelchair, which remained upright after he threw it overboard. Seeing that no damage had been done, he rolled himself towards his Apple Mac only to notice a sleeping Ginny in one of their cots. She was wearing a nice black dress and using her red shawl as a blanket. Mischievously, he took out a tiny whistle and moved to her side. Taking one long breath, he blew as hard as he could. Ginny then screamed, covered her ears and clumsily fell to the floor.  
  
"Rise and shine, princess," Colin sniggered, wheeling himself to his PC. "We don't want to keep Prince Charming waiting now, do we?"  
  
Ginny, embarrassed, stood up grumpily. "That wasn't funny, Colin," She fumbled at the side of the cot for her cane, and walked up next to him. "I don't know about you, but I have no plans of ending up like Helen Keller, so sod off with the whole whistle gig!"  
  
Colin turned to her. He couldn't help but glance at her still-bruised face despite the make-up she'd put on. He went back to his typing. "Nice painting you got there on your cheeks. Another one of Hermione's handiwork?"   
  
Ginny heaved a sigh. "I can't believe you're still gutted over this," She walked towards one of their beanbags and took her seat. "Cole, it was nothing more than an acci--"  
  
"I'm not Ron," he interrupted, glaring at her sharply "so don't you dare bullshit me about your supposed _accident!_" He placed his hands over his face, trying desperately to control his temper.  
  
"Cole?" Ginny asked, vexed at the lengthening silence between them. "Colin, talk to me please? Colin--"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I just don't want everybody to get worried, okay?" Ginny began twisting her fingers nervously. They rarely had a row, but when they did, things can get out of hand... and she hated it so much!  
  
Colin groaned and approached her. "G, it's just me. I'm not like everybody else," He gently took her hand and gave it a nice squeeze. "Besides, I think ten years of undying love and friendship gives me the right to know the truth, don't you think?"  
  
Ginny pondered for a while, whether telling him would make any difference. "Cole, it's over now. What's the point of you know--"  
  
"It was Snape, wasn't it?"   
  
"Colin, it's not--"  
  
"Because I swear to God I will kill him..."  
  
"Cole…"  
  
"... I'll start by burning down his bloody office, destroying his computer database..."   
  
"Colin!"   
  
"... then I gonna put some rat poisoning on his tea..."   
  
"It's not him, alright?!"  
  
"Then WHO is?!"  
  
Ginny put her hand on top of Colin's and sighed. "You promise you won't get mad."   
  
"G..."  
  
"Promise me." she said sternly.  
  
"I promise." Colin agreed, shaking his head dully. _I can't believe this girl!_  
  
Ginny stood up and paced herself across the room. "It was really all my fault. I was being such an arse to him..."   
  
"Damn it, G--"  
  
"... even though he saved me twice yesterday, I just couldn't keep my bloody mouth shut!?"   
  
"QUIT STALLING!"  
  
"It was Malfoy. But he didn't mean to hurt me… I think." Ginny surmised, waiting patiently for his response. _Please don't be mad..._  
  
"You think?" Colin gasped, looking at her in utter disbelief. "Jesus Christ, G, the man physically attacked you..."  
  
"I said it was an accident!" Ginny corrected.  
  
"… and you're not even sure if he was sorry for it!" Colin suddenly went to the refrigerator, grabbed himself a cola, and drank it. "If he ever steps foot in this castle, I will personally see to it that he be murdered right before my very eyes."  
  
"What are you going to do? Roll over him?" she quipped, completely disgusted. "Colin, you promised me you wouldn't get mad--"  
  
"I'm not mad, G... I'M FURIOUS!" Colin shouted, throwing the bottle over the tin. "Tell you what, I'm heading straight to Snape's office and tell him to shove that blasted 'reading session' of yours up his slimy arse!" He was already near the opening only to be stopped by Ginny, who was grabbing onto his handlebars. "What the bloody hell are you doing?!"   
  
Ginny didn't answer him. Instead, she swiveled his chair to her direction, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Stop it!" she cried, her eyes already close to tears. "I hate it when you're acting like this?!" She then hugged him, and sobbed. "Just let it go, all right?"   
  
With her quiet sobs murmuring across his ear, he suddenly felt completely barmy at his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry, luv," he whispered, rubbing her back to stop her from crying. "I guess I got a bit carried away."  
  
Ginny chuckled. "I'd say you were close to committing a huge massacre all over Hogwarts," She wiped her tears away and sat on his lap sweetly, her head leaning on his shoulders. "I'm sorry I lied. I'm just sick of everyone treating me like I'm some kind of mindless twit who keeps getting herself into trouble."  
  
"No one is treating you like that," Colin commented, hugging her as if she were a little infant. "Besides, since when did we care about what other people think about us? We've already deemed ourselves outcasts and rebels of society!"  
  
Ginny laughed, all her worries gone. "You're such a riot, you know that?" She then closed her eyes, and cuddled closer to him. "Thanks, Cole. I'd be totally lost without you."  
  
Colin simply brushed his lips onto her forehead, tucking a strand of her hair off her face. "Hey, we made a pinky promise to look out for each other, remember?"  
  
"Yeah," she smiled, fatigue slowly catching up on her. "We'll always have each other no matter what, right?"  
  
"No matter what," Colin then moved towards Ginny's cot, and with all his strength, gently lifted her up and laid her down. He was about to pull her blanket on her when something crept his thoughts.  
  
"G, weren't you supposed to go out with Neville tonight?"  
  
"I was," she answered sleepily. "But then when I went to the foyer at around sixish, he wasn't there. I waited for him for almost an hour but he still didn't show up."   
  
Colin pondered, his hand touching his chin decisively. "That's odd. Neville's always bang on time. I can't recall a day that he ever came late for... anything."  
  
"I know. Maybe he forgot about it?"  
  
"Neville would never forget something like this?!" _He fancies you too much._ "I better go ask Hermione if she'd seen-- are you listening to me?" Colin smirked at the now-asleep Ginny, snoring peacefully under the covers. He slowly took off her shoes and placed them under her bed. Giving her one last glance, he playfully tousled her fiery red hair, a deep contrast to her soft white pillow. "Good night, sleepyhead."   
  


***~*~***

  
It had been a week since the 'incident' happened yet Draco still remembered it as if it were yesterday. The feel of his hand touching her pretty face… the sight of blood dripping from her lips...   
  
"Damn it," he quietly cursed, leaning his head on the library doors he thought he'd never see again. For days, the image of her lying on the floor haunted him, frightened him. The incident reminded him of a childhood he swore never to experience again… a person he deemed never to become.   
  
_I'm not like him!_ Grabbing the door handles, he felt flustered. _What if she's not there? That's good, right? I mean, I don't have to see her again... but what if..._ His heart racing, he took a chance and pulled open the doors. He expected a silent greeting; a reassuring pause that would guarantee that he'd be alone till her 'arrival'...  
  
"You're late, Preppie."   
  
Draco jumped at the tone of her voice. She was never early for their 'sessions'; it made him uncomfortable, unsure of his own motives.   
  
Plus the fact that she just called him _Preppie_... a word usually associated with being stupid and rich.   
  
He hated it.   
  
He stared at her for a while- she was wearing a pair of denim pants under a nice gypsy dress and had on a pair of cowboy boots. She even decided to pull her hair up for a change, a look that made her quite daunting at first glance. _I guess she's back at her usual 'tomboy' self..._  
  
"Is something wrong or you were just planning on standing there all day," she smirked, continuing to read her Braille book. Draco frowned, picked up his package and opted for the chair opposite her. He couldn't help but look at her face, the remnants of any bruise completely gone. He also noticed how calm she was, sitting close by the person whom a week ago planted a nice thump on her cheek.  
  
This wasn't exactly how he intended the day to begin. He knew that an apology was the most civil thing to do, not that civility with her was what he really wanted; it was actually the opposite.  
  
He wanted to be as far away from her as possible. Every accident he'd been in, seemed to be connected to her in some way... and the last thing he needed was a problem he can't easily fix.   
  
"Look," he began, unsure of what to say, but he had to do so anyway. "About last week--"  
  
"How was your week?"   
  
Draco furrowed his brow, surprised and shirty at the cheerfulness in her voice. "What?"   
  
Ginny then closed her book and placed it to her side, her attention now focused on him. "I mean you've been gone for a week with no response whatsoever, so I kinda got worried. You sure you're not sick or anything, are you?"   
  
Draco gawked at her response. _This girl is making a mockery out of me!_ "I can't believe this..." He stood up and started gaiting all over the room. It's bad enough that he'd have to apologize for what he did, but to be made a fool was not part of it! "You're daft, you know that?"   
  
"What?" Ginny asked, not sure of what he was trying to point out. She tried to hear where he was coming from but all she could hear were the constant tapping of his shoes, loud and frantic. "Jesus, you're not making any sense--"  
  
"It's you who's not making any sense!" Draco roared, facing her as he quickly grabbed an ashtray and threw it against the wall. The sound of broken glass startled her, covering her ears. She gave him a nasty stare, and stood up to face him. He immediately went up to her, his face flushed in anger. "You seemed to forget who you're talking to? You know, the guy who tried to reconfigure your pretty face."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and sat back to her seat. "Oh please, if you're so browned off about that _encounter_ then you really are as chinless as I thought!" She had picked up her book again and began reading it, when she felt a hand gripping her arm tightly.  
  
"I don't think you heard me right," Draco hissed, pulling her up to get a good look at her grimaced face. "Last week, I left you along the corridors with a bruised face and a deranged mind so don't you dare pretend that nothing happened!" He wanted to say more but the smug look on Ginny's face could him off guard.   
  
"I know exactly what happened last time," Ginny smirked, trying desperately not to show how much pain his hold was causing her. "But guess what, _Preppie_, you're not the first person to lay a hand on me, so don't get all sappy about it. It's not worth it!"   
  
"Don't call me that!"   
  
"Then stop acting like one?!"   
  
Draco, stunned by her words, dumbly released her from his grip. She then took a seat, rubbing her arm irritably. Exhausted, he went back to his chair, leaned back and closed his eyes. He didn't know what was worse- his assault on her or the revelation she just shared. He didn't know whether it was a lie or the truth. But somehow it didn't matter to him anymore.   
  
Or maybe that was a lie too.   
  
"Malfoy, what happened last week was a mistake," Ginny explained, unsure whether it was really necessary for her to do so. "And I'm really sorry for what I did--"  
  
"Shut up!" Draco uttered silently. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment, his mind completely in a blur. "You don't know how disturbing it was to see you lying there on the floor, muttering words as if you were possessed by some demon--"  
  
"We all have our hidden demons, don't we?" she interrupted, her hands beginning to tremble in disgust. "You just happen to see one of mine."   
  
Draco glared at her. Her face was now serious and alert, as if she was waiting for another attack to come to her. He was intrigued at how strong she was in one minute, then fragile the next. He wanted answers from her.   
  
But he didn't know what to ask.   
  
"I can't do this anymore." he muttered, standing up and headed for the door. Something told him that if he didn't get away from her that instant, he would end up staying far longer than he should.   
  
Besides, he had his own demons to face too.   
  
No point adding hers to his list.  
  
"Don't run away from this," Ginny called out, hearing the sound of his footsteps walking toward the door. She didn't know why she stopped him from leaving. He wasn't the type of person worth spending time with, especially after all she'd been through with him. But he was doing something to her that she couldn't bear to face, let alone experience once more.   
  
Being left behind.   
  
Draco turned to face her as she slowly approached him, with her noisy cane in tow. "Why shouldn't I?"   
  
Ginny smiled. "Because you're not the type of bloke who gives up easily." When her cane reached his foot, she looked up to him, hoping that his face was what she was staring at and not his chest. "Besides, if you walk out on this, you'll end up in jail."   
  
Draco couldn't help but be enthralled by her charming face, her brown eyes smiling to him. Whatever hatred he had of her was quickly dissolved. _That smile will be the death of me!_  
  
He smirked at her, tucking a loose strand of hair to her ear. "And if I refuse?"  
  
Ginny thought for a while, and then extended to him her right hand. "A truce. That's all I can offer to you."   
  
"What if you just give me a--"  
  
"Don't even thing about it."   
  
Draco, seeing no point to argue with her offer, took her hand and shook it. "I was only going to ask for a peck on the cheek."   
  
Ginny had to laugh. "Well, if you're a really good boy, maybe you'll get more than that from me." She let go of his hand and turned back towards the couch.   
  
"Is that a promise?" Draco teased, following her. _I guess she's not so 'bad' after all._  
  
"Maybe," She stopped walking when her cane hit something hard along her path. She hit it again and it gave away a small metallic tick. "What is this?"   
  
Draco looked over her shoulder (which made her cringe) and sniggered. He stepped forward, picked the package and handed it to her. "A peace offering."   
  
Ginny, eyeing him curiously seized it from him and began feeling it. It didn't weigh much but the one thing that bothered her was its cold, slippery texture. Not one, but at least six of it of the same manner, all tied up in what seemed like a plastic string. "You gotta be kidding me. It's an ice-cold six-pack?!"   
  
This time it was Draco who had a laugh. "Of course! How can you drink some Guinness if it's not cold?"  
  
Ginny gaped at his laughing face. "This is your _peace offering?_ A pack of beer?" She really didn't mind having a couple of beers in the middle of the day. She would have actually enjoyed it, if the company was worth her fancy.   
  
_But as a peace offering???_  
  
"I was planning on buying you a bouquet of flowers instead," Draco snickered, containing his laughter as best he could. "But I said to myself. 'She's not girly enough for such frilly things. Might as well give her something she'd fancy on a hot day like this.' So I decided to buy you a six-pack of beer and a bottle of Smirnoff for your drinking pleasure. You do like beer and vodka, don't you?"   
  
"Oh yeah, they're the best beverages in the world," she jeered, the temptation of throwing the pack in his arrogant face getting stronger with each laugh. Sighing, she pivoted towards the door, the weigh of the pack becoming such a bother to her, with it on one hand and her cane in another. Then it came to her...   
  
"Oh I get it," she chuckled, the thought of it seemed silly but it did made sense to her in the long run. "You want me to get hammered so you can shag me afterwards."  
  
Draco suddenly turned red, an act that never occured to him at all. "WHAT?!"   
  
"I can't believe you're this desperate. To think, I was beginning to believe that you truly were a gentleman."   
  
"Now wait a minute, that's not what I meant--"  
  
"Look Preppie, I'm really flattered with the attention," Ginny smirked, enjoying the little _embarrassment_ she was making toward him. "But I'm not the type of girl who shags guys in the middle of the day, let alone a stranger. I prefer to do it in the evenings, if you get me drift." she winked.   
  
Draco stood there feeling like a fool. He didn't intend to put malice on the whole thing, but as she pointed out to him the details of his supposed _scheme_, maybe he unconsciously _hoped_ for it to happen. Then, something came over him...   
  
_Did she just tell me that she prefers sex in the evenings?_  
  
He was about to ask her if it were true when he saw her proceed to the door again. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I don't know about you, but if you ask me, the library's the last place I'd like to be if you want to enjoy an ice-cold beer." she responded, opening the door and leaving it ajar. Without waiting for his response, she quickly went out and headed for the east wing.   
  
"Hey, wait up!" Draco shouted, picking up the bottle of vodka with him. He has no idea where they plan to celebrate their new 'friendship' but at the back of his mind, things are beginning to stir pretty nicely for the two of them.   
  
_At least I didn't get whacked in the head for a change..._   
  


***~*~***

  
"Are we there yet?" Draco griped, dragging himself up at what seemed like his 300th step on the marble spiral staircase they were climbing up on. Exhaustion kicking in, he decided to rest in one of the steps and leans his back on the wall. He was planning to stay there for a couple of more minutes when he heard her calling out his name and saying that they were almost there. "Geez, for a football player, you're one bloody weakling if you can't catch up with me?!"   
  
He groaned in pain, as he stood up and took the stairs once more. _God, she'd better be good in bed, because her stamina's way off my league._  
  
After taking a couple of more steps, Draco finally reaching the landing, with Ginny standing in front of a stone door with carvings of various moon and star designs. "What is this place?"   
  
Ginny, sensing him stand beside her, handed him the six-pack she was carrying. Placing her cane to her left hand, she gave the door a little push and opened up to a circular room, flowing with various colors of light. "This is the Astronomy Tower."   
  
Stepping in, Draco couldn't help but be gobsmacked at the whole room. There were two doors facing at opposite sides, and an observation deck found in the north. He looked out and caught a great glimpse of London skyline from afar. But the one that attracted him the most was the crystallized dome that served as its roof. Judging from the prism of light and hue that showered before them, he knew that each pane was single-handedly crafted to be of equal size and angle, just perfect enough to create an illusion of "tiny rainbows" all across the room.   
  
That and a nice comfy mattress covered with pillows situated right in the middle of it all.   
  
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ginny kneeled before the side of the mattress and pulled out a rock tile on the floor, revealing a cooler hidden underneath it. She then asked for the beer and vodka so that it would remain cold when they drink it. "I mean, that's what the all say..."   
  
_What? The roof or the image of you lying in bed?_ "Yeah," he responded, slinging her the beers. He suddenly turned his attention to the two doors before them. "So what's in door number one?"   
  
After making sure that they were all in place, Ginny stood up and went towards the direction of his voice. "If you're referring to the one on my right, that's the Archives. It basically houses all the star charts, astronomy records and all the other astronomical findings done here. On my left, is the Astronomy Lab. That's where all the telescopes are stored."   
  
"And the mattress?" Draco asked, his face closely situated to hers. Somehow, he had the feeling that today would finally be his lucky day, after all. _Don't push your luck too hard, Malfoy... just take it nice and slow..._  
  
"Oh that thing?" Ginny said innocently, unaware of his illicit advances. "Let's just say some of the resident couples here take a 'time-out' every now and then in this room. I mean, they say that the view's fantastic plus the ambiance--"  
  
"So are you saying that you and I are here to take a _time-out?_"   
  
Ginny raised a brow and tapped her cane slightly on his arm. "Don't get any ideas, Preppie. We're just here for the beer," She pranced towards the mattress and took a seat. "Still, don't you think we're too early for that?"   
  
"Hey, I can stay here all night, if you want--"  
  
"Geez, what gave you the idea that I want to shag you right now, huh?" Ginny uttered in disgust, gripping her cane tightly. "Because I'm telling you, the chance of that happening is getting pretty slim!"   
  
"Oh come on! You brought me to a room with the fancy mood lighting and a nice bed to boot, and you're saying you don't want to have it off with me?!"   
  
"I know what you are," Ginny hissed, shaking nervously. She hugged her legs to try to calm herself down but she couldn't contain it anymore. "You meet a blind girl. Thinks she's weak and easy to get, so you try to sweet talk her into sleeping with you. Then after that, you start bragging to your mates how you 'bang her really good' and enjoyed hearing her scream out your name all night. That's what you are. That's what you all are."  
  
Sympathy was the last thing in Draco's mind when he sat down by her side. But seeing her in a state of angst was something he didn't want as well. Suddenly he wanted to hate her-- for she kept resurrecting his past over and over again. He felt like shouting to her to shut up and keep her demons to herself. He wasn't a part of it then, so why should he be a part of it now? But that didn't stop him from remembering his own demons... and for the first time in his life, he wasn't going to run away anymore.   
  
This time he will finish it... and leave it there for good.   
  
"Virginia, I don't know what you've been through," Draco said, his voice calm and reassuring. "But I do know this, I would never try to take advantage of you in any way. What happened last week was indeed a mistake, and I swear to you that will never happen again."  
  
Ginny could almost sense a tone of sadness in his voice. But somehow it didn't promise her anything. Maybe her fears had finally caught up with her and somehow turned them against her and everybody around her. She became a prisoner of her own past, and now she couldn't escape it. In her mind, she knew she could trust him, but in her heart... could she ever trust herself again?   
  
"What makes you so sure--"  
  
"You have my word on it." Draco insisted.   
  
The tone of his voice gave her the assurance she wanted from him. Regardless of all their previous encounters, that one gesture made all the difference. _Maybe he is worth giving it a shot at._ She then pulled out her pinky finger and turned to him. "Promise?"   
  
Draco stared at her for a moment. "Jesus Christ, we're not in kindergarten anymore..."  
  
"You've got to give me a pinky promise! That's the only way I can know that you meant what you said."   
  
Grunting, he linked his pinky finger with hers, incredibly glad that she couldn't see how annoyed his face was. "I promise! You happy now?"   
  
"Very much," she winked, removing her finger. She groped towards the rock tile and lifted it up to retrieve two cans of beer. She handed one to Draco, which he gladly took, and stared across the observation deck in silence.   
  
Opening the can, Draco gulped a mouthful, the bitterness of the beer flowing freely in his mouth. _God, that felt good!_ Fishing out a few puffs from his pocket, he caught a glimpse of Ginny sitting quietly by his side. With the colorful rays of light splashing all over them, she looked luminous and serene, a contrast to her fiery and desolate disposition. After struggling to fight it, he reached out barely touching her long hair, which shined like tiny rubies quilted in silk, when she spoke almost in a whisper. "Why are you staring at me?"   
  
Draco, startled, pulled back and began searching for his puffs again. "How did you..." Ginny smiled, tucking a strand of hair off her face. "Blind people sort of have this sense wherein we can almost tell when someone is looking at them. I guess it's true what they say -- you lose one, you gain another." She then took out her matchbox and sniffed a few cocaine hits. Instantly, her mind relaxed, a state of euphoria that would last her at least a couple of minutes.  
  
"I didn't know you did coke!" Draco said, lighting up his joint. After taking a long drag, he picked up his can and took a swig.   
  
"It's not like I'm an addict or anything." Ginny replied defensively, hiding her box on her pocket again. "Anyhow, I use it to keep myself sane."   
  
Draco smirked. "Wow. Since when did they use cocaine as a replacement for Prozac?"   
  
"Since when did this become a concern of yours?!"   
  
He held up his hands in defeat. "Hey, I'm just making conversation here, so don't get all jumpy with me."   
  
Ginny sighed, sipping her beer. "Sorry. It's just that my brain was starting to get numb and the need for a hit was driving out of me mind!" She hugged her legs and leaned her chin over it, looking out the deck as if she was staring in the clouds. "Nobody knows I take it, not even Colin."   
  
_Why does his frigging name come up all the time?!_ "I reckon your boyfriend don't agree with your peculiar habit?"   
  
Ginny watched him incredulously, as if he said something that was unheard of. "You think Colin's my boyfriend?"   
  
Draco shrugged, his gaze turned away from her. "I don't know. I mean, there isn't a day that you don't talk about him and I do mean TALK about him. Colin this, Colin that..."   
  
"He's my best mate! He's practically the only family I have." Ginny clutched her hands and began twisting them nervously. The thought of her having a relationship with Colin embarrassed her. Sometimes confused her. Not because it wasn't the truth - it's just that it's unfair to utter or even think such things. It wasn't for her own sake.   
  
It was for Ron's.   
  
Baffled, Draco glanced back at her. "I thought you had a brother who survived? Ron, isn't it?"   
  
She looked down on her hands and muttered. "Yes, that's his name. But then again, Ron's Ron."   
  
Draco, puzzled not only by her answer but also by the way she acted. It didn't make sense to him why she acted so distant toward her own brother, her real family. "I don't think I understand what you're try--"  
  
"That's right, Preppie!" Ginny cried, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "You don't know me and you don't him or Colin so just keep your bloody opinions to yourself!"   
  
"That's because I don't know anything about you!" Draco said flatly. When he brushed off a single tear that fell from her cheeks, she immediately grabbed his hand, her fingers trembling in fear. "Goddammit, what is the matter with you?!"   
  
Ginny let go of his hand, unaware of what she did. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," She rubbed her eyes and laugh quietly, staring at her hands. "You probably think I'm weird by now, huh?"   
  
"Weird? Hell no!" Draco mocked, finishing off his joint and throwing it off the deck. He then offered her some to calm her down, which she accepted. "Insane? Maybe. Lonely? Most definitely."   
  
Ginny gave it a puff, and compliment him ('nice batch'). Drinking the last of her beer, she took out 2 more and handed one to him. Hearing the word _lonely_ from someone who barely knew her, made her wonder whether her life was really that… sad. But then again, how could you explain your life to somebody who literally has everything? Besides, what difference would it make if he didn't know a single thing about her? After six months, she'd end up being one of the worst anecdotes in his life. He probably wouldn't even remember she existed.  
  
But what if she did share with him a little of her pain? Would he then at the end understand her? Would he finally think that her life was not as messed up as she thought it was?   
  
Or would he abandon her, just like all the others?   
  
Before she could even consider the consequences, she lay down on the bed and began telling her story.   
  


***~*~***

  
_"It all started in the night of the accident some thirteen years ago. We were off to Cromwell for our yearly camping trips. We had an old mini-van where Dad and Mum were in the front seat with my twin brothers, Fred and George, while my other brothers Bill, Charlie, and Percy were in the back. Since both Ron and I were really small, we sat in the back with all of our luggage..._  
"Mum, George stole my book!" Percy whined, trying to retrieve it from him only to get his glasses snatched off him by the other twin, Fred. "MUM!"   
  
Molly Weasley turned to see her twins fighting over the book, while her son, Percy grumbled at the back. "Fred! George! Give those back to your brother right now!"   
  
George flipped the pages furiously as if he were looking for something "Hey, how come this one doesn't have any pictures?"   
  
Fred then wore the glasses and peered over his shoulder. "Maybe you need to wear some of these to see them?"  
  
Molly groaned, rubbing her temples. With the twins ensuing in a tug-of-war with the book and Percy shouting at them to stop wreaking it, she glanced at her two other sons. Charlie was playing some air guitar with his personal stereo on, while Bill was busy reading his college notes. _Why can't my other boys act like these two..._ "Bill, would you be a dear and check up on the little ones at the back?"   
  
Bill looked up to her and nodded politely. He pivoted toward the back of his seat, to see Ron and Ginny playing with flash cards and a bunch of Lego blocks. "You kids all right back there?"   
  
"Yes!" they both said. Ron started stacking up the blocks on top of their bags, as Ginny lined up the cards on the car floor. "What are you guys doing?" Bill asked.   
  
"I'm making a huge fortress!" Ron beamed, picking up the rest of the scattered blocks on the floor.   
  
Bill smiled and tousled his messy hair playfully. "What about you, little lady?"   
  
"I'm making a long bridge heading toward Ron's fortress," she replied sweetly, placing one card at end of each other. "Wanna help me?"   
  
"Girl, you're the bridge maker in the family, not I?" He winked, which made Ginny giggle. He turned back to his seat, only to witness another squabble between his three brothers, driving their Mum into a state of ire. "All right, that's enough fun for tonight!" He quickly took the book and glasses from the twins and handed them to Percy. The twins then squirmed in their seats, with the face of their angry mum looming over them.   
  
"Finally! I thought those three would go on all night!" Arthur sighed, enjoying a peaceful drive for once. He glanced at her wife, who was giving the twins a lecture on respecting one's property, when a bright flash blared all over them. Fearing the worst, Arthur swerved the van as hard as he can, trying desperately to avoid the blinding light. "Everybody, brace yourselves!"   
_"The van collided with a huge juggernaut that lost its brake due to engine failure. It was a rainy night so the road was a bit slippery and it was too late for my Dad to do anything to avoid it. It rammed head first, killing both my parents and the twins in the process. My other three brothers were rushed to hospital, but they were pronounced dead by the time they arrived..."   
  
_


	4. Chapter Four

**DISCLAIMER:** All of the characters and places here are owned and copyrighted by JK Rowling.  
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
  
I know it took me ages to release this 4th chapter... and it might take an even longer time for the next one! But I still hope & pray you'd still have time to read & enjoy this fic!  
  
I also wanna thank my lovely & extremely gifted beta-readers namely **Pat** (One of the nicest guys in the planet! You're truly one of the best!), **Animagus_Steph** (You're an angel! My respect & admiration for you & and your beliefs would forever be in my heart!), **Clairvoyant_Snake** (I miss yah, sweetie!), and **Fred** (For being such a great friend! I miss our chat sessions so much!) I'm forever in your debt! ::glomps at everybody::  
  
------  
**Chapter Four**  
  
"And you and Ron?" Draco asked, listening intently to every word she said. As she lay there in bed, her hair now loosened from its knot, she reminded him of those little country girls he used to see in pictures from the books her mother would read to him as a child. But the one thing that separated her from those cheery, candy-coated angels were her brown eyes, both tired and weary from her ordeals.  
  
Yet still carry a sense of innocence that flickered all over her face.  
  
"Ron suffered a few cuts and bruises, some broken ribs and a shattered leg, but nonetheless he was pretty much okay. I, on the other hand, took a huge blow in the back of my head due to the impact, as well as major concussions in my face, arms and legs. It seemed the car windows exploded right in front of us, and I took in most of the damage. The doctors were able to cure my wounds, but they couldn't do anything to salvage my eyesight. Said it was because of the blow in my head, plus some shards of glass they found scattered in the choroids and optic nerves. It didn't destroy the cornea, but it somehow left both my eyes paralyzed." She picked up her can and drank all of it in one gulp. "And that's how I became blind."  
  
Draco stretched over to the other side of the bed, and grabbed the remaining cans as well as the bottle of Smirnoff. "Wait a minute, if both you and Ron survived in the accident, how come you guys got separated?"  
  
Ginny pinched off her joint and asked for another one and some more beer. "I think it involved the institute being exclusively for the disabled. Since you can't consider Ron's broken leg as a disability, they disregarded his chances of getting a residency here."  
  
Draco frowned. "Don't you have like relatives that could take both of you in?" Before he could ask another question, Ginny held up her hand to him.  
  
"Maybe it would be best if I finish off my story."  
  


***~*~***

  
_After two months of rehabilitation in the local hospital, one of the directors of Hogwarts, Miss Minerva McGonagall, paid us a visit and told us that she wanted to adopt us in behalf of the institute. But then things didn't turn out the way they supposed to be..._  
"Mister Fudge, I beg you to please reconsider my proposal." Minerva McGonagall explained. She knew that the chances of it were slim but she insisted on a meeting with the Vice-Chairman of the Hogwarts Foundation. If she could state her claim clearly to him, the children would finally have a place they could call home. _For the children's sake..._  
  
"Don't these kids have relatives that could take care of them?" Cornelius Fudge asked, eyeing the children that were sitting quietly at one of the benches in his office. Both of them seem to pay no attention to their discussion.  
  
McGonagall shook her head. "All of their remaining relatives have left the country. I've talked to al of them and they said that they couldn't afford to travel back here, let alone adopt them. We are these children's last hope."  
  
Fudge removed his glasses and looked at her for a moment. "Minerva, do understand that the decision of the Board of Trusties is final, and there is nothing I can do to change that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have papers to attend to-"  
  
"What was Albus' take on this?" she inquired, hoping for his word on it. Albus Dumbledore is the head of the Hogwarts Foundation. He built the institution for the very purpose of her demand - to help save children in need of their love and support.  
  
"He and I were the only ones who approved of it," he implied, choosing one of the piles of documents strewn over his desk. "But the majority of the votes still insist on not going forward with your request."  
  
"Clearly there must be something you can do-"  
  
"It is final, Miss McGonagall. We have read your proposal over and over again, and we have all agreed to only accept Miss Weasley as a resident." He bent on his head to one of the financial documents that needed to be read.  
  
"But what about the boy?" McGonagall asked, the size of the huge office starting to cave in on her, a feeling she gets whenever she feels nervous.  
  
"I've coordinated with the Smeltings Shelter which is very much willing to take in the child. Hopefully in due time, they would be able to find suitable foster parents for him."  
  
McGonagall was up on her feet and confronted him, trying desperately to control her anger. "Do you have an idea how this would affect the children? If you separate them, who knows what emotional harm it would bring to them?"  
  
"Do you think I'm this cruel, Miss McGonagall?" Fudge glowered at the respectable woman, though her actions were not commendable. "Believe me, my heart goes out for those two, but if we let that boy stay, then we might as let in all the abandoned kids scattered across the city!"  
  
"That is not the reason why I want him here!" she retorted, causing the Vice Chairman to stand up from his seat. "The girl is in deep psychological and emotional shock, and I believe that if you take away her brother from her, I guarantee you, she will never speak again! It's bad enough that she's blind, but to be mute is something I don't wish to happen."  
  
"This institute prides itself with having the best child psychiatrists in the country-"  
  
"What she needs is her family," McGonagall snapped, all formalities gone to waste. "Or what's left of it. If you do this, it's as if you've killed both of them as well."  
  
Fudge's mouth twitched slightly, and some of the tension went out of his shoulders. "You have your orders, Miss McGonagall. You are to escort Mister Weasley to the Smeltings Shelter right now. They'll be expecting him there and I'd appreciate it if you'd be very prompt about it. And don't worry about Miss Weasley. I've already called one of the nurses to take her to her room and have her settled in."  
  
Giving him one final glare, Miss McGonagall excused herself, and turned her back on him. Silently, she cursed the day the accident had occurred. It not only took a toll on the lives it destroyed, but as well as her own. Sighing, she walked her way towards the children. The sight of the boy swinging his now-healed leg freely while her young sister was silently hugging her teddy caused her to fight back the tears in her eyes. The only thing now she could offer to the young ones was her strength and determination to keep them safe, no matter how hard it would get.  
  
She knelt in front of him and tried to catch a glimpse of his innocent face. In his eyes she could almost tell how sad he was, though maintaining what little hope life has to offer him. _Be strong, little one!_ "Ronald, I want you to come with me for awhile."  
  
Ron looked up to her and stared. "Is Ginny coming with us?" he asked naively.  
  
McGonagall shook her head, tears rolling from her cheeks. "I'm afraid not."  
  
Ron simply smiled and nodded. He then whispered something to Ginny's ear. "I'll see you later, okay?"  
  
She didn't respond. Ron, giving her a slight tap on the arm, faced McGonagall and took her hand. He stood up and went with her as they headed out of the room...  
  


***~*~***

  
"Those were the last words he told me," Ginny said, unconsciously twirling one of the ribbons of her dress. "I never heard from him again, till about three years ago."  
  
Draco sat there, his emotion varying from sadness to disgust. _Why that fucking bastard?! How can he live like that, leaving his blind sister to the care of others! That guy's a mad idiot!?_ "He didn't try to write or call you?"  
  
She shook her head. "They wouldn't allow him to. They thought that it would cause me more pain if I found out that my brother was gone. Plus they insisted that the best way for me to recover was to remember my past on my own." She held up her last can of beer and took a swig at it.  
  
Draco glared. "That's still not a good excuse! If he had cared for you that much, then he should have done something... anything!"  
  
"How dare you talk about him like that?!" Ginny snarled, sitting up to face him. "First of all, you can't imagine how hard it was for him to witness everything-"  
  
"So have you, but he still didn't make the effort-"  
  
"It was I you didn't make the effort because I have NO memory of it all?!"  
  
Draco froze. He watched at her tear-streaked face averting her gaze from him. These confessions of her confused him more that he could ever imagine. Was she telling the truth? If not, were those really a bunch of lies to hide the real events of her life? And what bothered him the most...  
  
He _wanted_ to know the truth.  
  
"What are you trying to prove, Weasley?"  
  
Ginny pulled up her legs again and hugged. "All the stories I told you, the accident and the meeting, those weren't my memories... they were Ron's. The truth is, I don't have any recollection of my past! I don't know who my parents were or my brothers. Dammit, I can't even remember what they look like!" She then groped for the last beer, opened it, and took a swig. "It was my fifteenth birthday when he first arrived here in Hogwarts after ten years of not seeing me. He held me in his arms and whispered things like, 'I'm sorry' and 'I miss you' that echoed all over my head to the point were it no longer makes sense to me. And you know what my first words to him were? I said to his face 'Who are you?' God, I could still feel how he trembled in despair upon knowing that the one person who kept him alive all this time, never even knew he existed."  
  
Draco frowned. If Ron had already been in her life for the past three years, then why hadn't he able to gain her sister's trust? Hell, she even valued a person who wasn't even related to her.  
  
But then how can you trust someone you've just met?  
  
Ginny continued. "So out of guilt I kinda convinced myself that if I take Ron's memories and make them my own, they would somehow forgive me for abandoning them."  
  
"You didn't abandon them," Draco corrected, his eyes now focused on Ginny's face. "You were a just a kid, blocking out your nightmares-"  
  
"So are you saying that I wanted it to happen?" Ginny asked, giving him an accusing look.  
  
"No, but you can't blame yourself for something you can't control," Draco said sternly. "It's better that you don't remember the things that cause you so much pain, rather than face them every single day of your life."  
  
Ginny tilted her head and giggled at the tone of his voice, all knowing and... concerned? "Geez Preppie, you're beginning to sound like Colin."  
  
_Great! Now I'm being compared to the guy! What's next? That I'm his long lost twin?!_ "Ah! The famous Colin. Tell me, how come you care so much about this guy more than your own brother?"  
  
"Is that a question or an insult?" Ginny sneered.  
  
"Both."  
  
Awkwardly, Ginny looked down at her hands and whispered. "Because he's the one who saved my life."  
  


***~*~***

  
_He arrived three years after my accident. And in all those times... I still couldn't speak._  
"I can assure you Mrs. Creevey," Doctor Perkins explained, handing to her the medical forms that needed to be signed. "Colin will get the best medical attention this institute has to offer."  
  
Mrs. Creevey smiled, taking the forms. "I appreciate it very much, Doctor. You have no idea how hard it is for our family to leave him here." She then gave her son a nice comforting squeeze on his shoulder.  
  
Doctor Perkins nodded, promising that they will do whatever they can to help the young lad. As they continued on discussing his treatment, as well as his boarding arrangements, Colin squirmed on his wheelchair, bored and tired. The trip was a pain and the fact that he had to live far away from home was something he wasn't too happy either. It's not that he had a life, but at least he knew some people there, not like in this wretched old castle. He continued on bickering as to how miserable his new home will be when he saw an opened door just out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Curious, he wheeled toward it and peered inside only to find a little girl sitting by her rocker, hugging a little teddy. Looking back at his mummy, who was still in deep talk with the doctor, quietly pushed the door and entered her room. He looked around and found it to be a bit sparse, with only a small study table and a bed as her furniture (besides the rocker that is). Leaving the door ajar, he slowly approached her. As he moved closer, he noticed how she didn't even fidget from where she was sitting, though he was sure that he was making enough noise with his wheelchair.  
  
"Hi! My name is Colin," he greeted politely. "What's yours?"  
  
She didn't respond, nor even gazed at his direction.  
  
"I'm new here," he continued on, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the deafening silence between them. "I just arrived from Wigtown. It's actually a small town in Scotland." He then turned his attention to some of the books scattered on the floor next to her. He picked up one of them and began reading it, only to find a bunch of dots in every page. "This one's written in Braille, right? I guess that means you're blind then?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"I didn't know blind people can't speak too," Colin mumbled, returning the book back into its place. "Anyhow, I happen to be a paralytic. I don't really know what it means, but I do know that I can't walk and that I need to stay here so that one day I can stand up and play football just like the other boys back home!" Hearing nothing from her yet again, he had finally given up and headed for the door. "I guess I should be going now. Sorry if I disturbed you." He was about to grab the doorknob when he heard a slight whisper.  
  
"Ginny."  
  
Colin pivoted, only to find the young girl slanting her head towards his direction, as if trying to find his voice. "What did you say?"  
  
She smiled weakly. "My name is Ginny."  
  
Colin beamed, pushing his wheelchair to meet her. It would be nice to have a friend in this desolate place. He knew it wasn't home, but maybe a nice friendship would help cheer things up for him.  
  
And for her.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Ginny. I'm Colin..."  
  


***~*~***

  
Draco puffed off the last of his pack, when he noticed her again lying, eyes closed across the mattress. After finishing off the beers and half a bottle of vodka, not to mention a whole pack of spliffs, it was official - they were both mullered for the day! "I reckon he and Ron are buddies?"  
  
"Not really," she slurred, the effects of the booze finally making her nauseous. "I mean they're civil and all, and Colin's trying very hard to befriend him. It's just that Ron's a bit..."  
  
"Jealous?" Draco interrupted, silently complaining to himself as a massive headache started creeping inside him. _Damn, I hate it when I get this sloshed!_  
  
She didn't want to agree with him... but it was the truth. "Why blame me if I don't care about him as much..."  
  
"Neither is he, so stop this fucking I-love-Colin-more-than-my-brother bullshit?!" he snapped, dagger looks thrown all over her face. Seeing how surprised she was, he suddenly felt like a complete idiot! _Fuck, I'm defending a guy I haven't even met before?! That's it! I've completely lost my mind!_  
  
Ginny pondered for awhile, then eyed him curiously. "You really hate me this much, do you?"  
  
"No!" he lied. He wondered why he even cared to answer that question at all. Somehow, the whole afternoon only made him feel worse, not only towards her but also on himself. "I'm just having a really bad day..."  
  
"I can't blame you if you do," Ginny continued, sitting up, her hands on her head. "All my life I've done nothing but run away from the people that should matter to me the most. I blocked out all memory of my family because I was afraid that if I didn't, I'd never let them go, that I'd forever be stuck in my past. So I made up this really crazy fantasy world wherein I have this really famous mother who had to give me up for adoption because she didn't want to ruin her career or that I was a love-child of some wealthy heiress from one of her butlers. God, I would have accepted any excuse whatsoever… as long as it wasn't the truth. My truth." She looked out from the deck and started crying again. _Damn, I don't want him to see me like this..._  
  
"I'm sorry," Draco said timidly. To be honest, he wasn't even sure if he really meant it - he just didn't know what else to say in a situation like this.  
  
He was always used to being the one with the sad angst-ridden stories... and not the one who had to listen to them.  
  
For the nth time that day, she tittered, wiping off her tears. "Don't be. It's not like you were there when it happened." With a determined look in her eyes, she stood up and paced herself toward to the observation deck. She felt a cool breeze cross her face as her hands groped the marble balustrade. "You know what I've always wanted to do whenever I've gone out here and pretend that I could actually see the sky?"  
  
Now that his headache has taken a life of its own, Draco throbbed in pain. Right now is not the time to get all chatty with him... especially when he's on a verge of a major migraine! "Oh I dunno, jump off and try to fly?" he answered irritably. "Exactly!" Without hesitation, she climbed unto the railing and rose to her feet. "It's a bit windy, I should say," she called out, tapping her feet to see if it was strong enough to hold her. "My God, this castle is definitely built to last a lifetime!"  
  
Now that her shouts are adding up to the pain, Draco cocked his head up to find her completely erect on top of the desk's banister... over a hundred meters from the ground! _What the fuck..._  
  
"Jesus Christ, if you want to bloody kill yourself, can you like do it some other time!" Draco shouted, already up on his feet. Unfortunately though, too much spirits in his system was enough to make him wanna tumble to the floor. "I don't plan on going to jail for murder..."  
  
Ginny laughed, stretching her arms freely like a bird in flight. "Aww... come on, Preppie! Don't you have any sense of adventure? Look, if you extend your arms like this, you could almost feel like you're flying off the ground!"  
  
Finally reaching the balustrade, he rested his hand on it and cursed everything he took - the drinks, the drugs, her tragic life... everything! "Do you have any idea how high you are right now?"  
  
"I'm blind, you dolt!" she quipped. Hearing his voice all wound up made her laugh even more! "It doesn't matter if it's two feet or a thousand meters high! All I see from here on is black, black... and more black!"  
  
"Oh that's very reassuring of you!" he remarked sarcastically. His original plan was to stay away from her as much as possible. Now, from the looks at things, he has completely plunged himself into the dark realm known only to him as the world of Virginia Weasley. He was about to tell her that he'd had enough of this nonsense when he saw her jumping up and down, singing wildly at the top of her lungs! _She's gone mental!_ Without more ado, he grabbed hold of her waist and dragged her off the deck.   
  
"Hey! I wasn't done yet..." she complained, as she found herself being pinned down on the mattress, his hands gripping on her wrists to prevent her from moving. She fidgeted, trying to get way from him... but somehow the feel of his body close to her excited her - a delightful appetite she once enjoyed... and feared at the same time...  
  
"Are you out of your mind?!" he roared to her face. "You could have died up there and you know who gets the blame for it if that happens. ME!" He was about to go on another round when he felt her fingers tracing his lips soothingly. Her touch, soft and gentle, sent shivers all over his spine. He wondered how such a simple act could cause him so much... _This is it, baby! Your patience has finally paid off!_  
  
Blame on the alcohol or the drugs, but right now, all Ginny could think off was how his lips quivered in every stroke she made. She teasingly started making a move his neck towards his chest, clothed in what appeared to be a very expensive jumper. "I guess your plan did work after all." Grabbing a fist-full, she pulled him down and crushed her lips onto with his.  
  
The frustrations he had all day, surmounted to sheer lust as he devoured her lips with such force, he could almost taste the seething fire burning inside her body. He mentally smiled as he felt her fingers tugging off his jumper slowly, gliding it across his now naked back. _Oh yeah, she's done this before..._ He did his own exploration of sorts, cruising his hands from her fiery hair towards the frilly ribbons and buttons that bound her luscious skin. Tearing them apart one by one, his kisses ran through her neck, making her moan in utter bliss. He slipped his hands inside her dress and used his fingertips to nudge the straps of her bra, dancing slightly over the swell, with his thumb circling her nipples through the cotton. He didn't want her to anticipate. Wanted all her senses stunned and her mind empty of all but pleasure.  
  
He would see to it.  
  
She wanted to resist, to push him back before he dragged her over a line she sworn never to cross again. But then his mouth was urgent, his hands impatient as they molded and pressed and stroked. She dragged at his trousers, desperate now that nerves have been swallowed by needs.  
  
That's when the voices start crawling in...  
  
_Baby, yeah baby. Give it to me. Harder!  
  
I'm come back for you, I promise...  
  
Shhh... we don't want them to hear us, now do we? That's right... God, you're so beautiful...  
  
I love you, Virginia... always will..._  
  
Her mind was now in chaos, the voices crashing into her like waves across the breakwaters. She wanted it to stop, to make it go away. The need to run overrode whatever passion she had for fear was now looming across the room...  
  
And she had nowhere else to go.  
  
"Stop!" she pleaded, and started to cry, sensing his erection pressed against her thighs. She pounded her fist onto his chest, the thunders in her heart racing against her will. "Please stop. Please."  
  
Draco resisted her at first, the call of the flesh too agonizing to control, but the sight of her struggling to free herself from his grasp made his stomach lurch. Immediately, he rolled off and laid his back beside her. She then curled herself in a ball as her shoulders shook, hands over her ears as her sobs echoed before them. He stared at the roof for what seemed like an eternity. He didn't know what to say to her; for fear that that it might again trigger another panic attack. He wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong, that people go through this sort of thing whenever they feel like the world no longer made any sense to them... when there was no one else to blame but the world. He'd been to that road before, but seeing it from the eyes of someone else made it look like he was back there all over again. He exhaled slowly, shoving his hands through his hair. She didn't deserve his empathy, let alone his anger, but then... "You heard it again, didn't you?"  
  
Ginny, startled by his question, simply nodded. The voices have finally subsided, but they left feeling lost and empty. She couldn't come up with the right explanation for her actions either; she was the one who made them come out, not him... and she needed to tell him that.  
  
But how?  
  
How can you convince him that the pain you feel was something of your own doing, and not of his?  
  
"It's not your fault..."  
  
"You damn right, it isn't!" Standing up, he buttoned back his trousers and picked up his jumper. Finally dressed, he caught sight of her now sitting upright, hugging herself as if she was in terrible pain. _Oh no! Not again..._ Crouching beside her, he peered to her eyes, trying to see if he was going to lose her again. "You okay?"  
  
Ginny shook her head, her body shuddering senselessly. "I don't feel so good," she mumbled. Her throat was as dry as a desert while her whole body felt like there's a storm brewing inside of her. "I think I'm going to be sick..."  
  
Draco quickly held her face and checked her eyes, blood-shot and completely stoned. The color of her skin has gone pale and her lips trembled fretfully. "Damn it, if you plan on getting yourself drunk, then you shouldn't have taken those blasted nose candies of yours!" She was definitely having a cocaine withdrawal, and if he couldn't find a way to stop this, then both their arses would be in deep shit. "Can you stand up?"  
  
"I can't," she whimpered, the pain getting too unbearable to take. She needed a hit... and she needed it now. She fumbled for her matchbox but Draco snatched it from her. "Look, if I could snort just a little..."  
  
"NO!" Draco retorted, grabbing her arms to calm her down. "The last thing you need is to get us both in trouble for something as stupid as this!"  
  
She wanted to scream at him, as the cravings started getting stronger by the minute. "I'll tell them that you weren't involved..."  
  
"Yeah, like they'd believe all that," he smirked, wiping a tear that escaped off her flushed cheeks. He scooped her into his arms and felt her arms wrapped around his neck, causing his heart to skip a beat. Somehow, behind the wild tough-chick façade that she kept showing him, lay a little girl who was in dire need of help.  
  
His help.  
  
Something nobody has ever asked him before.  
  
Whatever fear she felt awhile back was replaced with a sense of security she'd never imagined she'd find in him. Despite all the sarcasm and arrogance he projected, there was a caring soul that had, in one way tried to save her life, more than anything she could ever ask for. If it were a lie, a trick that he liked to pull on people… then just maybe, even for a short while, she might actually convince herself that this is all true. "Please don't leave me."  
  
"What?" Draco asked, confused that she would ever say such a thing to him, after everything that had happened between them. He even pictured her saying _Get the hell out of my life_ or something of that nature.  
  
She panicked, afraid that he wasn't taking her seriously. "Promise me that whatever fucking bullshit I say or do, you won't walk out on me, got that?" She then held him closer, desperately wanting nothing more but to gain comfort from him, from anyone at this point. "I just don't wanna be alone right now, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Draco responded awkwardly, tapping her shoulder slightly like a father would do to his ailing child. He wasn't sure if he met it - he just wanted to go home, take a long hot shower and forget that this day never happened at all...  
  
Except for the brief snogging they had earlier.  
  
As they reached the last flight of stairs, he noticed that the shakes had receded. He looked down at her to find her sleeping soundly, her eyelids fluttering. He wondered if she knew where she was, or the crazy things they'd said or done. But one thing was for sure...  
  
His hunger for her was still imminent. Resistance was getting futile, with the feel of her legs hanging in his arms and the scent of her hair smelling sweetly against his face. He unconsciously began stroking her thigh, despite the pants she was wearing. _God, why can't I just have her? Just this once... PLEASE!_  
  
"Preppie?" she whispered, her eyes still closed.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, his left hand resting under her thighs while his other cradled her arms.  
  
"If you even attempt to fuck me in my sleep, I will cut your bloody dick to shreds."  
  
_Why you little..._ "Sod off, Weasley" Draco sighed irritably. If there was one thing he learned from his experiences with women that he values the most, this would probably be it:  
  
Never underestimate a woman's threat... especially if it involves your manhood.  
  



End file.
